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1832.^1882. 


SU1I-CENTENN1AL  CELEBRATION 


OTY  W  8WFJHO. 


Address  oi  the  Hon.  E.  C.  SPRAGUE" 

Before  the  Buffalo     Historical    Society,  July   3,    1882. 


CELEBRATION  OF  JULY  4th, 


IN     CONNECTION    WITH      LAYING    OF    CORNER     STONE    OF 


*     4WB     Bill  AIKU     If  AW 


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PUBLISHED    UNDER     DIRECTION    OF    THE    COMMITTEE    OF     THE 

/    BUFFALO  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY, 

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-&ttO~ML    THE 

BUFFALO  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 


••••      •••• 


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1832.^.^1882. 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION 


6i?T  Of  I' 


Address  of  the  Hon.  E.  C.  SPRAGUE 

Before  the  Buffalo    Historical  [Society,  July   3,    1882. 


CELEBRATION  OF  JULY  4th, 


IN     CONNECTION    WITH     LAYING    OF    CORNER     STONE    OF 


ram  en 


iMl 


PUBLISHED    UNDER    DIRECTION    OF    THE    COMMITTEE    OF     THE 

BUFFALO  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY, 


"  *>  «I  •'!  ••••••  •     •    • 


■^SS^- 


PRESS   OF 

E.  H.   HUTCHINSON, 

12  TO  18  EAGLE  ST.. 
Buffalo.  N.  y. 


V? 


**& 


PIEFATOKY  NOTE. 

The  interest  awakened  by  the  celebratioq  of  our  city's  Semi- 
centennial, has  elicited  a  large  amount  of  interesting  and  valu- 
able historical  information  whicr]  we  hope  to  see  placed  iq  con- 
venient fornq  for  preservation.  Iq  preparing  these  pages  the 
committee  iq  charge  have  felt  that  they  could  not  do  better  thaq 
to  reproduce  the  account  of  the  exercises  of  the  Third  of  July, 
substantially,  as  published  in  the  Buffalo  Morning  Express,  and 
of  the  celebratioq  of  the  Fourtrj  of  July,  frorq  the  Buffalo  Daily 
Commercial  Advertiser. 


718961 


IUESTBATIONS. 

Portrait,  Hoq.  Dr.   EBENEZER  JOHNSON, 

First  Mayor,  1832. 

Portrait,  Hoq.  GROVER  CLEVELAND, 

Mayor,  1882. 
Port  of  Buffalo,  1815. 
Circular  of  Invitatioq  witf]  view  of  City  and  County  Hal 
and 
Soldiers'  and  Sailors'   Monument. 


urai  mini 

First  Mayor  of  Buffalo  1832 


::':%/ 


•  < «     • 

•  •   •  *,  «• 


1532  1552 


At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Buffalo 
Historical  Society,  held  on  the  14th  day  of  March,  1882,  at  the 
rooms  of  the  Society,  the  subject  of  the  celebrating  the  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  the  incorporation  of  the  city  was  considered, 
which  resulted  in  the  adoption  of  the  following  resolution  : 

Resolved  :  That  the  President  appoint  a  committee  of 
five,  to  make  arrangements  for  a  proper  observance  by  this 
Society  of  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  incorporation  of  the 
city  of  Buffalo,   which  will  occur  April  20,  1882. 

Whereupon,  the  President  named  Wm.  H.  H.  Newman, 
Rev.  A.  T.  Chester,  William  C.  Bryant,  Wm.  Dana  Fobes, 
and  Thomas  B.  French,  as  such  committee. 

Subsequently,  the  Common  Council  of  the  city  appointed 
a  committee  of  its  members,  and  of  citizens  for  the  purpose 
of  arranging  for  the  anniversary,  and  also  for  the  celebration 
of  the  ensuing  national  jubilee,  and  a  meeting  of  the  commit- 
tees was  held,  at  which  the  subject  was  considered.  The  fol- 
lowing report  of  the  action  of  the  several  committees  was 
made  to  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Historical  Society, 
April  16,  1882.  William  C.  Bryant,  from  the  semi-cen- 
tennial committee,  reported  that  a  joint  meeting  of  the  Com- 
mon Council  committee,  the  Citizen's  committee  and  the  com- 
mittee of  the  Society  had  been  held,  and  after  consulting  to- 
gether it  was  deemed  expedient  to  postpone  the  celebration  of 
the  event  until  the  4th  of  July  next,  and  ask  time  for  further 
action. 

Afterwards  it  was  arranged  by  the  several  committees,  that 
the  celebration  of  the  anniversary  of  the  incorporation  of  the 
city,  should  be  conducted  under  the  auspices  of  the  Buffalo 
Historical  Society,  and  that  the  exercises  should  be  held  at 
St.  James  Hall  in  the  evening  of  the  3d  day  of  July,  and  that 
the  commemorative  proceedings  upon   the  4th  of  July  should 


6  buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 

be  conducted  by  the   committees   appointed    by  the  Common 

Council. 

The  committee  finally  arranged    that  the  semi-centennial 

exercises  should  be  conducted  by  the  Society  on  the  evening 
of  July  3d  at  St.  James  Hall,  according  to  the  following  pro- 
gramme : 

Music — Overture,  "  Arion  "    (Schachi) Wahle's  Orchestra. 

Announcement  of  Officers --By  Hon.  James  Sheldon. 

Remarks, By  His  Honor,  Mayor  Grover  Cleveland . 

Invocation . Rev.  Wm.  Shelton,  D.  D. 

Reading  letters  in  response  to  invitations,  W.  C.  Bryant,  Esq. 

Music — ' '  Gavotte  " . Giesman . 

Oration By  Hon.  E.  Carlton  Sprague. 

Music ___<•'  Star  Spangled  Banner. ' ' 

Benediction Rev.    Albert  T.  Chester. 

Music — Grand  March,  "  Boccaccio  " ...Suppe. 


THE  CELEBRATION. 

The  exercises  arranged  by  the  Buffalo  Historical  Society 
to  commemorate  the  semi-centennial  anniversary  of  the  city 
were  held  in  St.  James  Hall  on  the  evening  of  July  3d.  The 
occasion  proved  exceedingly  interesting,  and  pleasant  as  well. 
Calculated  to  enlist  the  particular  attention  of  the  old  residents, 
it  brought  them  together  in  very  unusual  numbers.  The  hall 
was  simply  yet  elegantly  adorned.  Festoons  of  red-white- 
and-blue  material  were  looped  from  the  gallery  semi-circle. 
A  temporary  railing  divided  the  main  floor,  so  that  a  number 
of  the  rows  of  seats  in  front  might  be  reserved  for  those  attend- 
ing upon  special  invitation.  The  stage  and  its  furniture  were 
quite  profusely  decked  with  luxuriant  flowering  plants  and 
ferns,  contributed  from  the  conservatories  of  Mrs.  James  Shel- 
don. Below  the  proscenium  arch  were  drawn  curtains  of 
great  American  flags,  one  bearing  the  year  of  the  city's  incor- 
poration, "  1832,"  the  other  the  year  of  to-day,  "  1882." 
At  the  back  of  the  stage  another  large  flag  depended,  before 
it  standing   a   portrait    of  the    first     Mayor  of    Buffalo,    Dr. 


EXERCISES   AT   ST.  JAMES     HALL. 


Ebenezer  Johnson.  His  daughter,  Mrs.  John  C.  Lord,  it 
may  be  here  appropriately  noted,  was  one  of  the  ladies  present. 
On  the  walls  about  the  hall  were  hung  other  portraits  of  men 
prominently  identified  with  the  early  history  of  the  city  and 
its  development,  among  them  the  famous  Indian  orator,  Red 
Jacket,  ex-President  Millard  Fillmore,  Joseph  Ellicott,  the 
agent  of  the  Holland  Land  Company  who  laid  out  the  village 
of  New  Amsterdam,  which  became  the  village  and  in  time  the 
city  of  Buffalo,  Louis  Le  Couteulx,  William  Peacock,  Myron 
Hawley  who  was  one  of  the  earliest,  if  not  the  first,  projec- 
tor of  the  Erie  Canal,  Gen.  Peter  B.  Porter,  George  Palmers 
Judge  Samuel  Wilkeson,  General  William  F.  Barry,  Williuia 
G.  Fargo,  and  George  W.  Tifft.  Also  there  was  a  picture 
showing  an  old  street  scene  in  Buffalo,  with  the  Eagle  Tavern 
the  prominent  feature,  a  very  truthful  representation  of  the 
leading  public  house  of  1832,  and  with  a  fame  then  shared 
by  few  hostelries  west  of  New  York. 

The  attendance  was  mostly  of  those  who  have  lived  long 
in  the  city,  or  who  are  descendants  of  its  fathers.  Some  very 
old  men  and  women  were  present,  and  many  whose  lives  have 
been  closely  identified  with  a  considerable  period  of  the  city' 
existence  ;  too  many  of  such,  in  fact,  to  permit  the  represen- 
tation of  a  list  which  would  name  all  who  should  in  such  a 
case  be  mentioned.  There  was  much  to  awaken  old-time 
reminiscence.  One  very  interesting  incident  may  be  cited  : 
Side  by  side  sat  Mr.  Samuel  Lake  of  this  city,  and  Mr.  Thomas 
Faulkner  of  Wheatland,  Monroe  County.  Each  of  these 
venerable  men  is  in  his  93d  year.  Mr.  Lake,  an  American 
Soldier,  was  in  old  Fort  Erie  when  the  historic  sortie  was 
made  during  the  war  of  1812.  Mr.  Faulkner,  a  soldier  of  the 
First  Scottish  Fusileers,  was  one  of-  the  British  force  which  in- 
vested it.  Of  the  armies  of  that  time  few  indeed  still  live, 
and  that  these  representatives  of  the  then  contending  troops 
should  thus  nearly  seventy  years  later  and  on  such  an  occasion 


8  buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 

be  brought  together  was  an  occurrence  of  a  certainly  interest- 
ing character. 

The  Historical  Society's  Committee  of  Arrangements, 
Messrs.  William  H.  H.  Newman,  William  Dana  Fobes,  Wil- 
liam C.  Bryant,  Thomas  B.  French,  and  the  Rev.  A.  T. 
Chester,  D.  D.,  were  all  early  at  the  scene  and  busy  with  re- 
ceiving the  old  settlers  and  other  special  guests.  General 
Stewart  L.  Woodford,  who  is  to  deliver  the  address  at  the 
laying  of  the  corner  stone  of  the  monument  on  the  Fourth, 
was  an  evidently  much  interested  attendant  at  the  exercises. 

About  eight  o'clock  the  programme  was  begun  with  an 
overture  by  Wahle's  Orchestra,  after  which  the  Hon.  James 
Sheldon,  Chief  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court,  addressed  the 
assemblage  as  follows  : 

Citizens  : — You  are  assembled  this  evening  to  celebrate 
the  first  semi-centennial  anniversary  of  the  days  when  the 
City  of  Buffalo  was  organized  and  took  its  place  among 
the  sister  cities  of  the  Republic.  The  Historical  Society  of 
our  city,  as  the  recognized  authority,  having  by  its  timely  and 
patient  labors  gathered  and  garnered  the  facts  constituting  the 
early  history  of  Buffalo  and  Western  New  York,  has  assumed 
charge  of  the  exercises  appropriate  to  the  occasion,  and  it  has 
been  deemed  proper  that  his  Honor  the  Mayor  should  act  as 
President  of  the  meeting.  His  Honor  the  Mayor  of  the  city 
is  therefore  requested  to  take  the  chair. 

Mayor  Grover  Cleveland  then  came  forward,  and  was  ac- 
corded an  enthusiastic  reception.  He  spoke  in  the  following 
words,  and  was  frequently  applauded  : 

REMARKS  OF  MAYOR  CLEVELAND. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen  :  I  ought  perhaps  to  be  quite 
content  on  this  occasion  to  assume  the  part  of  quiet  gratifica- 
tion. But  I  cannot  forbear  expressing  my  satisfaction  in  being 
allowed  to  participate  with, you  in  the  exercises  of  the  evening, 
and  I  feel  that  I  must  give  token  of  the  pleasure  I  experience 
in  gazing  with  you  upon  the  fair  face  of  our  Queen  City  at  the 
age  of  fifty. 

I  am  proud  with  you  in    contrasting  what  seems  to  us  the 


.  Coj.iik  lm  Co.  8u 


J{  if  fill  lilftlAli, 

Mayor  of  Buffalo  1882. 


REMARKS   BY   MAYOR   CLEVELAND.  9 


small  things  of  fifty  years  ago,   with  the  beauty  and  the  great- 
ness, and  the  importance  of  to-day. 

The  achievements  of  the  past  are  gained,  the  prosperity 
of  the  present  we  hold  with  a  firm  hand,  and  the  promise  of 
the  future  comes  to  us  with  no  uncertain  sound. 

It  seems  to  me  to-day  that  of  all  men  the  resident  of 
Buffalo  should  be  the  proudest  to  name  his  home. 

In  the  history  of  a  city,  fifty  years  but  marks  the  period  of 
youth  when  all  is  fresh  and  joyous.  The  face  is  fair,  the  step 
is  light,  and  the  burden  of  life  is  carried  with  a  song,  the 
future  stretching  far  ahead  is  full  of  bright  anticipations,  and 
the  past  with  whatever  of  struggle  and  disappointment  there 
may  have  been,  seems  short  and  is  half  forgotten. 

In  this  hey-day  of  our  city's  life,  we  do  well  to  exchange 
our  congratulations,  and  to  revel  together,  in  the  assurances 
of  the  happy  and  prosperous  future  which  awaits  us. 

And  yet  I  do  not  deem  it  wrong,  to  remind  myself  and 
you  that  our  city  great  in  its  youth,  did  not  suddenly  spring 
into  existence,  clad  in  beauty  and  in  strength. 

There  were  men  fifty  years  ago,  who  laid  its  foundations 
broad  and  deep  ;  and  who  with  the  care  of  jealous  parents, 
tended  it  and  watched  its  growth. 

Those  early  times  were  not  without  their  trials  and  their 
discouragements  j  and  we  reap  to-day  the  fruit  of  the  labors 
and  perseverance  of  those  pioneers. 

Those  were  the  fathers  of  the  city.     Where  are  they  ? 

Fifty  years  added  to  manhood  fills  the  cup  of  human  life. 
Most  have  gone  to  swell  the  census  of  God's  City,  which  lies 
beyond  the  Stream  of  Fate.  A  few  there  are  who  listlessly 
linger  upon  the  bank,  and  wait  to  cross,  in  the  sh  ide  of  trees 
they  have  planted  with  their  own  hands. 

Let  us  tenderly  remember  the  dead  to-night  j  and  let  us 
renew  our  love  and  veneration  for  them  who  are  spared  to 
speak  to  us  of  the  scenes  attending  our  city's  birth  and  in- 
fancy. 

And  in  this  our  day  of  pride  and  self-satisfaction,  there 
is,  I  think,  one  lesson  at  least,  which  we  may  learn  from  the 
men  who  have  thus  come  down  to  us  from  a  former  generation. 

In  the  days  of  the  infancy  of  the  city  which  they  founded, 
and  for  many  years  afterwards,  the  people  loved  their  city  so 
well  that  they  would  only  trust  the  management  of  its  affairs  in 
the  strongest  and  best  of  hands  ;  and  no  man  in  those  days 
was  so  engrossed  in  his  own  business  but  he  could  find  some 
time  to  devote  to  public  concerns. 

Read  the  names  of  the  men   who    held  places  in  this  mu- 


10        buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 


nicipality  fifty  years  ago,  and  food  for  reflection  will  be  found. 

Is  it  true  that  the  city  of  to-day,  with  its  large  population, 
and  with  its  vast  and  varied  interests,  needs  less  and  different 
care  than  it  did  fifty  years  ago  ? 

We  boast  of  our  citizenship  to-night.  But  this  citizen- 
ship brings  with  it  duties  not  unlike  those  we  owe  our  neighbor 
and  our  God. 

There  is  no  better  time  than  this  for  self-examination. 
He  who  deems  himself  too  pure  and  holy  to  take  part  in  the 
affairs  of  his  city,  will  meet  the  fact  that  better  men  than  he 
have  thought  it  their  duty  to  do  so.  He  who  cannot  spare  a 
moment  in  his  greed  and  selfishness  to  devote  to  public  con- 
cerns, will  perhaps  find  a  well-grounded  fear  that  he  may  be- 
come the  prey  of  public  plunderers  ;  and  he  who  indolently 
cares  not  who  administers  the  government  of  his  city,  will 
find  that  he  is  living  falsely,  and  in  the  neglect  of  his  highest 
duty. 

When  our  Centennial  shall  be  celebrated,  what  will  be 
said  of  us  ?  I  hope  it  may  be  said  that  we  built  and  wrought 
well,  and  added  much  to  the  substantial  prosperity  of  the  city 
we  had  in  charge.  Brick  and  mortar  may  make  a  large  city, 
but  the  encouragement  of  those  things  which  elevate  and  purify, 
the  exaction  of  the  highest  standard  of  integrity  in  official 
place,  and  a  constant,  active  interest  on  the  part  of  the  good 
people  in  municipal  government  are  needed  to  make  a  great 
city. 

Let  it  be  said  of  us  when  only  our  names  and  memory 
are  left,  in  the  Centennial  time,  that  we  faithfully  admin- 
istered the  trust  which  we  received  from  our  fathers,  and 
religiously  performed  our  parts,  in  our  day  and  generation, 
toward  making  our  city  not  only  prosperous  but  truly  great. 


VICE   PRESIDENTS. 

The  following  Vice  Presidents  and  Secretaries  were  then 
named  by  Judge  Sheldon,  and  appointed  : 

Vice  Presidents — William  Hodge,  E.  G.  Spaulding,  Lewis 
F.  Allen,  Augustus  C.  Moore,  Orsamus  H.  Marshall,  Sherman 
S.  Jewett,  John  L.  Kimberly,  Bronson  C.  Rumsey,  James  C. 
Harrison,  Ernst  G.  Gray,  Warren  Bryant,  Gibson  T.  Williams, 
Edward  L.  Stevenson,  Jonathan  Scoville,  P.  P.  Pratt,  Wm. 
H.  Glenny,  Sherman  S.  Rogers,  George  Howard,  Henry 
Martin,   Dr.  George   N.    Burwell,    Francis    H.    Root,  Philip 


INVOCATION    BY   DR.    SHELTON.  11 

Beyer,  Jewett  M.  Richmond,  Jacob  F.  Schoellkopf,  Henry 
Kip,  John  Wilkeson,  Myron  P.  Bush,  John  Allen,  Jr.,  Jacob 
H.  Koons,  James  M.  Humphrey,  Charles  W.  Evans,  William 
P.  Letch  worth. 

Secretaries — Edward  Bennett,  David  F.  Day,  John  S. 
Trowbridge,  A.  Porter  Thompson,  Edward  P.  Beals,  Charles 
E.  Young,  Asaph  S.  Bemis,  Warren  Granger,  Samuel  M. 
Welch,  John  McManus,  William  C.  Demarest,  Elias  O.  Salis- 
bury, Leon  F.  Harvey. 

The  venerable   William  Shelton,    D.  D.,  then  stepped  to 

the    reading-desk    to    pronounce     the     invocation.     He  was 

greeted  with  a  round  of  applause,  which  testified  to  the  general 

respect  and  affection  in    which    the  rector  of  more  than  half  a 

century    is    held    by   the     community.     The   prayer   was    as 

follows  : 


THE  INVOCATION. 

We  look  to  God  for  a  blessing  upon  this  assembly,  and 
upon  the  occasion  which  brings  it  together.  We  look  to  Him 
for  a  blessing  to  our  common  country,  our  government  and 
laws,  and  our  courts  of  justice,  that  they  may  always  know  the 
right,  that  they  may  defend  the  fatherless  and  befriend  the 
poor.  We  bless  the  God  of  all  Truth  that  He  hath,  from  the 
day  of  Columbus,  blessed  our  land  and  distinguished  it  by  the 
miracles  of  His  providence,  and  in  a  wonderful  manner  made 
it  to  be  the  home  of  the  needy  and  industrious  of  all  lands. 
We  look  up  for  a  continuance  of  His  favor  upon  the  institu- 
tions of  religion  and  learning,  without  which  we  are  lost  to 
all  advancement  and  true  and  permanent  prosperity.  We 
look  to  God  with  profound  thankfulness,  who  has  so  graciously 
reared  this  great  and  grand  country,  and  filled  it  with  the 
riches  of  His  material  blessings,  and  with  abundance  of  his 
spiritual  gifts.  As  a  people  we  continue  to  invoke  His  paternal 
care,  always  believing  that  the  good  providence  of  the  Al- 
mighty is  ever  present  to  bless .  or  to  punish  virtue  and  vice, 
good  and  evil,  and  that  without  a  trust  in  an  Almighty  rule 
there  can  be  no  continued  national  or  private  prosperity. 
Finally  we  are  to  seek  for  private  worth,  real  and  true  virtue, 
honor  and  honesty,  and  Divine  religion.  That  our  beautiful 
country  may  preserve  her  lofty  stand  among  the  nations  of 
the  earth,  and  ever  be  the  favored  of  God  and  man.     We  shall 


12        buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 

thus   perpetuate    the   favor    of  our    Almighty  author  and  the 
happiness  and  grandeur  of  this  mighty  people. 

The  invocation    concluded,    Dr.    Shelton  in  a  few  words 

said  if  he  had  the  power   he   could    tell  much  of  the  past,  but 

long  sickness   had    made   him    weak.     He    could    look    back 

further  than  most  present.     He  had  been  pastor  of  one  of  the 

churches  fifty-three  years.     He  had  seen  the  prosperity  of  the 

town  from  its  very  infancy  to  its  present  position  as  one  of  the 

most  dignified,    thoroughly    respectable  and  prosperous  of  the 

nation.     As  such  he  hoped  that  it  would  continue. 


RESPONSES  TO    INVITATIONS. 

William  C.  Bryant,  Esq.  was  next,  according  to  the 
programme,  to  read  letters  in  response  to  invitations.  He 
had  a  box  of  such  letters,  the  box  of  good  size  and  closely 
filled.  To  read  all  would,  he  said,  take  the  whole  time  allot- 
ted to  the  exercises  ;  to  read  a  portion  would  be  invidious. 
Accordingly  it  had  been  decided  to  omit  the  reading. 

The  letters  so  received  were  from  the  following  named 
persons  : 

Chester  A.  Arthur,  President  of  the  United  States. 

U.  S.  Grant,  New  York. 

B.  H.  Brewster,  Attorney  Gen'l  of  the  United  States. 

General  W.  S.  Hancock. 

David  D.  Porter,  Admiral  of  the  Navy. 

Wm.  M,  Evarts. 

Charles  Devens. 

Horatio  Seymour. 

General  Wm.  B.  Rochester. 

John  D.  Long,  Governor  of  Massachusetts. 

A.  H.  Littlefield,  Governor  of  Rhode  Island. 

Wm.  E.  Cameron,  Governor  of  Virginia. 

Thos.  T.  Crittenden,  Governor  of  Missouri. 

Alvin  Hawkins,  Governor  of  Tennessee. 

David  N.  Jerome,  Governor  of  Michigan. 

Governor  Hoyt   of  Pennsylvania. 

Abram  S.  Hewitt,  Representative  in  Congress. 

James  Wadsworth,  Representative  in  Congress. 


LIST   OF   INVITED    GUESTS.  13 

R.  P.  Flower,  Representative  in  Congress. 

W.  E.  Robinson,  Representative  in  Congress. 

C.  D.  Prescott,  Representative  in  Congress. 

Perry  Belmont,  Representative  in  Congress. 

Jonathan  Scoville,  Representative  in  Congress. 

David  Davis,  U.  S.   Senator. 

Angus  Cameron,  U-  S.  Senator, 

Waldo  Hutchins,  Representative  in  Congress. 

Frank  H.  Hamilton,  M.  D.,  New  York. 

Scott  Lord. 

Seth  Low,  Mayor  of  Brooklyn. 

Henry  Lang,  Mayor  of  Newark,  N.  J. 

John  Breen,  Mayor  of  Lawrence,  Mass. 

J.  L.  Baudry,  Mayor  of  Montreal. 

Mayor  Parsons  of  Rochester. 

General  M.  T.  McMahon,  of  New  York. 

Wm.  L.  Heyward,  Mayor  of  Providence. 

General  Brayman,  J.  O. 

Rt.  Rev.  A.  Cleveland  Coxe,  Bishop  of  W.  N.  Y. 

T.  B.  Bullene,  Mayor  of  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

William  L.  Ewing,  Mayor  of  St.  Louis. 

John  L.  Miller,  Mayor  of  Dayton,  O. 

W.  H.  Furman,  acting-Mayor  of  Jersey  City. 

Chas.  T.  Sibley,  Mayor  of  Portland,  Me. 

Jos.  A.  Shakespeare,  Mayor  of  New  Orleans. 

H.  K.  Braley,  Mayor  of  Fall  River,  Mass. 

Chas.  D.  Jacob,  Mayor  of  Louisville,   Ky. 

Francis  U.  Burdick,  Mayor  of  Utica. 

William  R.  Grace,  Mayor  of  New  York. 

John  F.  Wheaton,  Mayor  of  Savannah,  Ga. 

John  M.  Stowell,  Mayor  of  Milwaukee,   Wis. 

Joseph  B.  Carr,  Secretary  of  State,  Albanv- 

John  Betts,  aged  82,  Danville,  N.  Y. 

Thos.  D.  Smith,  Muscatine,  Iowa. 

Thos.  G.  Alvord,  Clayton,  Jefferson  County. 

Wm.  M.  Hall,  Stamford,  Conn. 

Gideon  J.  Ball,  Erie,  Pa. 

Ellis  H.  Roberts,  Utica,  N.  Y. 

Wm.  Pinkney  Whyte,  Baltimore. 

H.  B.  Bigelow,  Governor  of  Connecticut. 

M.  W.  Bulneley,  Mayor  of  Hartford,  Connecticut. 

S.  Seymour,  State  Engineer  and  Surveyor. 

Francis  H.  Tows,  New  York. 

Oran  Follett,  Sandusky,  Ohio. 

Governor  Ludlow  of  New  Jersey. 


14        buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 

A.  C.  Rand,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Wm.  Means,  Mayor  of  Cincinnati. 

Henry  B.  Lovering,  Mayor  of  Lynn,  Mass. 

Mayor  Green  of  Boston. 

Josiah  Dent,  President  of  the  Board  of  Commissions, 
District  of  Columbia. 

A.  M.  Clapp,  Washington,  D.  C. 

George  W.  Clinton,  Albany. 

Leslie  W.  Russell,  Attorney  General,  Albany. 

The  Rev.  Albert  H.  Plumb,  pastor  of  the  Walnut  avenue 
Congregational  Church  of  Roxbury,  Boston. 

Judge  M.  F.  Force,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

The  Rev.  James  Remington,   East  Saginaw,  Mich. 

Mr.  Jas.  V.  Campbell,  Detroit. 

Mr.  Lyman  C.  Draper,  Madison,  Wis. 

Mr.  Joseph  Stringham,  Oshkosh,  Wis. 

Mr.  George  W.  Lewis,  Fredonia. 

Mr.  Sheldon  C.  Townsend,  Ransomville,  N.   Y. 

Mr.  R.  J.  Chard,  New  York. 

Dr.  Flint,  New  York. 

Sam'l  Wilkeson,  Cape  Cod,  Mass. 

Jacob  Romeis,  Mayor  of  Toledo. 

Rudolph  W.  Ransom. "] 

Lyman  D.  Hodge.         [       0     „     .    ,T. 

Warren  Granger  \      St.  Paul,  Minn. 

Geo.  W.  Robertson.     J 

H.  C.  Van  Schaack,  Manlius,  N.  Y. 

P.  P.  Barton,  Lewiston. 

Geo.  W.  Mason,  Nunda,  N.  Y. 

Alonzo  Raynor,  Clarence,  N.  Y. 

D.  J.  Gillmore,  Mayor  of  Paterson,  N.  J. 

M.  Brayman,  Ripon,  Wis. 

Wm.  P.  Letchworth,  Glen  Iris,  N.  Y. 

Wm.  F.  Jordan,  Mayor  of  Bradford,  Pa. 

John  Demong,  Mayor  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Walter  S.  Wilson,  New  York. 

Charles  Henry  Hart,  Philadelphia. 

Charles  L.  Bailey,  Harrisburg,  Pa.  . 

Trevor  &  Co.,  Lockport,  N.  Y. 

G.  M.  McCauley,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 

W.  H.  McMurrich,  Mayor  of  Toronto. 

J.  E.  Mayhew,  Jamestown,  N.  Y. 

Chas.  Magill,  Mayor  of  Hamilton,  Ont. 

C.  M.  Taintor,  Southport,  Conn. 

W.  Miller,  U.  S.  Senator. 


LIST   OF   INVITED    GUESTS.  15 

V.  Wright  Kingsley,  New  York. 

Albert  D.  Shaw,  Consul. 

Wra.  C.  Blake,  Mayor  of  Sail  Francisco,  Cal. 

Theodotus  Burwell,  New  York. 

Jacob  B.  Jackson,  Governor  of  W.  Virginia. 

Edmund  B.  Dikeman,  Mayor  of  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

H.  L.  Johnson,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Lt.  John  B.  Eaton,  Little  Rock,  Ark. 

Freeman  J.  Fithian,  New  York. 

F.  Langelier,  Mayor  of  Quebec,  P.  Q. 

Ira  Davenport,  Comptroller,    Albany,  N.  Y. 

Alfred  C.  Coxe,  Utica,  N.  Y. 

S.  D.  McEvery,  Baton  Rouge,  La. 

Geo.  C.  Perkins,  Sacramento,  Cal. 

After  another  selection  by  the  orchestra,  the  following 
oraMon  was  delivered  by  the  Hon.  E.  Carlton  Sprague  : 


ADDRESS. 


Mr.  Mayor  and  Fellow-Citizens  of  Buffalo  : 

Before  proceeding  with  the  address  which  I  have  had  the 
honor  to  prepare  for  this  occasion,  I  take  the  liberty,  on  behalf 
of  this  audience,  of  offering  our  congratulations  to  the  vener- 
able rector  of  St.  Paul's*,  that  after  a  service  in  the  ministry, 
which  has  lasted  through  the  entire  life  of  our  city,  his  health 
and  strength  enables  him  to  take  a  part  in  our  anniversary  ex- 
ercises this  evening,  and  to  receive  this  unaffected  and  spon- 
taneous tribute  of  the  respect  and  affection  of  his  fellow-citizens. 

On  the  20th  day  of  April,  1832,  an  act  was  passed  by  the 
Legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York,  entitled  "An  act  to 
incorporate  the  City  of  Buffalo."  An  election  was  held  on 
the  26th  day  of  the  ensuing  May,  of  two  aldermen  from  each 
of  the  five  wards  of  the  city,  which  resulted  in  the  choice  of 
Isaac  S.  Smith,  Joseph  W.  Brown,  Henry  Root,  John  G.  Camp, 
Ira  W.  Blossom,  David  M.  Day,  Major  A.  Andrews,  Henry 
White,  Ebenezer  Walden  and  Thomas  C.  Love.  They  held 
their  first  meeting  in  what  we  have  been  accustomed  to  call  the 
old  Court-house,  on  Washington  Street,  on  the  28th  of  the 
same  month,  and  elected  Ebenezer  Johnson.  Mayor,  Henry  R. 
Seymour,  Treasurer,  and  Dyre  Tillinghast,  Clerk.  Its.  govern- 
ment being  thus  organized,  it  may  be  said  that  the  City  of 
Buffalo  was  born  on  the  28th  of  May,  1832. 

We  do  not  therefore  meet  to-night  upon  the  precise  anni- 
versary of  the  birthday  of  Buffalo.  We  must  remember,  how- 
ever, that  we  have  assembled  to  commemorate  not  only  the 
city's  birth,  but  also  its  arrival  at  the  fiftieth  year  of  its  active 
and  progressive  life,  and  there  is  no  time  more  suitable  for 
such  a  celebration  than  the  eve  of  the  Fourth  of  July.  It  is  emi- 
nently proper  than  we  should    solemnize  the  city's  and   the 


*  The  Rev.  Wm.  Shelton,  D.  D. 


ORATION   BY   E.    C.    SPRAGUE,    ESQ.  17 

nation's  festival  together;  for  there  is  no  other  city  whose  life 
and  character  have  been  more  directly  affected  by  the  seed 
which  was  sown  on  the  Fourth  day  of  July,  1776,  and  by  the 
Union  and  Constitution  which  grew  therefrom.  We  all  under- 
stand how  seriously  our  fortunes  are  affected  by  the  fact  that 
Canada  still  holds  its  motion  in  another  sphere.  But  what  would 
the  history  of  Buffalo  have  been  if  Ohio,  Michigan,  Illinois,  and 
Wisconsin  had  been  foreign  states  imposing  hostile  tariffs, 
burdensome  tonnage  duties,  and  restrictive  navigation  laws 
upon  the  commerce  of  the  lakes?  What  would  have  been  its 
fate  if  the  history  of  the  jealous  and  belligerent  kingdoms  of 
Europe  had  been  repeated  in  America  ?  Undoubtedly  Buffalo, 
even  under  such  circumstances,  would  have  become  a  town  of 
some  commercial  and  military  importance,  but  it  would  not 
now  be  the  city  with  whose  streets  and  homes  we  are  familiar. 
We  may  well  be  devoutly  grateful  that  we  have  not  assembled 
here  this  evening  to  rehearse  the  story  of  vicissitudes  and  mis- 
fortunes, endured  amidst  the  struggles  of  rival  states  and  the 
"clash  of  resounding  arms."  Whilst  we  pay  our  tribute  of 
respect  and  affection  to  the  men  and  women  to  whom  we 
directly  owe  whatever  is  worthy  of  praise  in  the  City  of  Buff- 
alo, let  us  not  be  unmindful  of  the  services  of  the  soldiers  and 
statesmen  whose  exertions  in  a  broader  theatre  of  action  so 
largely  contributed  to  make  Buffalo  what  it  is  and  is  to  be. 

Our  city  derives  its  name  from  the  river  at  whose  mouth  it 
is  situated.  How  this  stream  came  to  be  called  Buffalo  is 
somewhat  doubtful.  In  a  treaty  made  at  Fort  Stanwix,  now 
the  village  of  Rome,  in  1784,  between  the  United  States  and 
the  Iroquois  Confederacy,  the  name  of  Buffalo  Creek  was  ap- 
plied for  the  first  time  in  any  known  written  document  to 
what  is  now  known  as  Buffalo  River.  Whether  this  name  was 
chosen  because  the  buffalo  had  at  some  time  grazed  upon  its 
banks  and  drunk  its  waters,  or  whether,  as  was  supposed  by 
President  Fillmore,  it  was  adopted  by  a  mistake  in  the  inter- 


18        buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 

pretation  of  its  Indian  name,  cannot  be  certainly  determined, 
although  there  is  strong  evidence  to  support  the  conclusion 
that  both  banks  of  the  stream  were  in  early  days  bounded  by 
oak-opening  prairies,  occupied  at  times  by  herds  of  buffalo. 
However  this  may  be,  Buffalo  was  from  the  year  1784  adopted 
by  the  Indians  as  the  name  of  the  creek,  and  subsequently  ap- 
plied to  the  village  and  city  at  its  mouth. 

The  territory  now  constituting  the  city  formed  a  part  of 
the  region  granted  to  the  Council  of  Plymouth  by  Charles  the 
First  in  1620,  and  by  Charles  the  Second  to  the  Duke  of  York 
in  1664.  It  was  claimed  by  both  New  York  and  Massachu- 
setts under  these  conflicting  charters- until  in  December,  1786, 
by  what  may  be  termed  an  amicable  partition,  the  title  or 
rather  the  pre-emption  or  the  exclusive  right  to  purchase  the 
lands  of  the  Indians  was  vested  in  Massachusetts,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  strip  one  mile  wide,  extending  northerly  from 
Lake  Erie  along  the  Niagara  River,  the  pre-emption  of  which 
was  vested  in  New  York.  The  Indian  title  was  gradually  ex- 
tinguished by  treaties  in  1797,  1838,  and  1842.  In  1791 
Massachusetts  conveyed  its  interest  to  Robert  Morris,  who,  in 
1792,  conveyed  it  in  trust  for  certain  gentlemen  residing  in 
Holland,  who,  being  aliens,  were  unable  to  hold  the  legal  title. 
This  disability  was  removed  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  pass- 
ed in  1798,  and  the  lands  were  conveyed  to  the  members  of 
what  has  since  been  known  as  the  Holland  Land  Company. 
Thus  the  present  title  to  the  territory  in  Buffalo  embraced  in 
the  mile  strip  is  derived  from  the  State  of  New  York,  and  to 
the  remainder,  from  individuals  composing  the  Holland  Land 
Company.  So  much  as  to  the  tenure  by  which  we  hold  the 
soil  on  which  we  live. 

This  soil,  early  in  the  17th  century,  when  it  was  first  seen 
by  white  men,  was  occupied  by  a  peaceful  tribe  of  Indians 
known  as  the  Kahquahs,  called  by  the  whites  the  "  Neutral  Na- 
tion."    About  the  year  1650  the  Kahquahs  were  conquered 


ORATION   BY   E.    C.    SPRAGTJE,   ESQ.  1  9 

and  exterminated  by  the  Iroquois.  The  lands  remained  un- 
occupied from  that  time  until  1780,  when  the  Senecas,  one  of 
the  largest  and  most  warlike  of  the  Six  Nations  constituting 
the  Iroquois  confederacy,  but  whose  villages  between  Seneca 
Lake  and  Batavia  had  been  destroyed  by  Sullivan's  expedition, 
dispirited  and  diminished  in  numbers,  settled  near  Buffalo 
Creek,  about  four  miles  from  its  mouth.  They  occupied  the 
site  of  Buffalo  as  a  hunting  ground,  shooting  squirrels  within 
its  present  limits  with  bows  and  arrows,  down  to  the  time  of 
its  incorporation  as  a  city  in  1832.  They  were  familiar  to 
our  streets  and  visitors  in  our  houses  until  1843  and  1844, 
when  their  last  lands  having  been  sold  they  departed  from  the 
home  of  their  fathers,  some  of  them  joining  their  brethren  who 
had  previously  emigrated  to  the  Cattaraugus  and  Alleghany 
Reservations,  and  the  remainder  finding  a  home  upon  reserva- 
tions allotted  to  them  in  Kansas.  The  former  owners  and 
occupants  of  our  soil  claim  a  place  in  the  reminiscences  prop- 
er to  this  occasion.  Among  the  Senecas  known  to  our  citizens 
were  some  gifted  men,  like  the  orator  "  Keep-' em- Awake," 
better  known  as  Red  Jacket.  Others  who  combined  solid 
worth  and  weight  of  character  with  vigorous  intellectual 
powers,  such  as  Cornplanter,  the  Pacificator,  and  Farmer's 
Brother;  others  who  in  default  of  more  solid  attainments,  fortified 
themselves  with  names  designed  "  to  fright  the  souls  of  fearful 
adversaries,"  such  as  " Ghastly  Darkness"  and  the  "Devil's 
Ramrod."  Many  were  indefatigable  drunkards  and  as  idle  as 
lotus-eaters ;  but  to  the  last  there  remained  a  few  chiefs,  wise 
in  council,  courageous  in  action,  dignified  in  demeanor,  who 
by  their  presence  and  conversation  vindicated  the  tradition 
that  as  statesmen  and  warriors  the  Senecas  were  proudly  emi- 
nent among  the  Six  Nations  whose  confederacy  was  the  terror 
of  North  America,  from  the  Canadian  Lakes  to  the  Carolinas, 
and  from  the  Hudson  to  the  Mississippi. 

In   1797   the  Holland  Land  Company  employed  Joseph 


20        buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 

Ellicott  to  survey  their  lands  in  Western  New  York.  His  is 
a  name  which  we  must  not  let  die  in  Buffalo.  He  was  a 
younger  brother  of  Andrew  A.  Ellicott,  then  Surveyor-General 
of  the  United  States.  He  had  assisted  him  in  laying  out  the 
City  of  Washington  and  adopted  it  as  a  pattern  for  our  broad 
streets,  diagonal  avenues,  and  public  squares.  His  plan  in- 
cluded most  of  the  principal  streets  lying  south  of  Chippewa 
Street,  as  we  know  them,  such  as  Church,  Erie,  Commercial, 

and  parts  of  Main,   Niagara,   Seneca,  and   Swan   Streets 

Chippewa  Street  being  the  most  northerly  highway  of  the 
future  metropolis  of  his  imagination. 

Most  of  these  streets  bore  the  names  of  members  of  the 
Holland  Land  Company,  and  the  entire  settlement  was  chris- 
tened "  New  Amsterdam."  For  his  personal  delectation  he 
curved  Main  Street  westerly  from  Swan  to  Eagle  Streets. 
Within  this  space,  known  subsequently  as  "  Ellicott' s  Bow 
Window,"  he  proposed  to  place  a  palatial  residence  from 
whose  piazza  he  could  obtain  an  unobstructed  view  of  Main, 
Erie,  Church,  and  Niagara  Streets,  and  enjoy  the  gorgeous 
sunsets  for  which  Buffalo  is  so  justly  celebrated.  So  Mr. 
Ellicott  proposed.  But  towns  and  villages,  as  well  as  republics 
are  ungrateful.  There  were  none  so  poor  as  to  do  reverence 
to  the  name  of  New  Amsterdam.  The  inhabitants  contempt- 
uously sniffed  at  the  inharmonious  names  of  Willink  and  Van 
Staphorst,  Busti  and  Vollenhoven,  Stadnitski  and  Skimmel- 
pennick,  and  summarily  ejected  them  from  the  premises.  Mr. 
Ellicott' s  scheme  faded  like  the  sunsets  which  he  expected  to 
enjoy.  But  his  fame  has  survived  its  wreck,  and  he  will  be 
always  remembered  in  the  annals  of  Buffalo  as  the  first  man 
who  appreciated  its  geographical  position,  who  prophesied  its 
greatness,  and  planned  its  highways  on  a  scale  suitable  to  its 
future  fortunes. 

In  1803  the  village  of  "New  Amsterdam"  was  surveyed 
into  lots  by  William  Peacock,  but  its  inhabitants  persisted  in 


ORATION    RY    E.    C.    SPRAGUE,    ESQ.  21 

calling  it  Buffalo,  and  Buffalo  it  has  remained  up  to  this  day. 
Lots  began  to  be  sold  in  1804,  and  the  history  of  Buffalo  as  a 
place  of  residence  for  white  men  may  be  said  to  begin  at  this 
date.  A  few  settlers,  however,  had  already  strayed  within 
its  limits.  Cornelius  Winne,  the  first  white  settler,  about  1789, 
Martin  Middaugh  about  1794,  Asa  Ransom  in  1796.  In  the 
fall  of  1797  a  daughter  was  born  in  Asa  Ransom's  house  near 
the  corner  of  Main  Street  and  the  Terrace,  the  first  white 
person  born  in  Buffalo. 

In  1799  arrived  General  Timothy  S.  Hopkins,  the  father 
of  the  Hon.  Nelson  K.  Hopkins.  Joseph  Wells,  the  father  of 
Aldrich,  William,  and  Chandler  J.  Wells,  first  saw  Buffalo  in 
1800  and  settled  here  in  1802;  Aldrich  Wells  is  supposed  to 
be  the  first  white  man  born  in  Buffalo.  David  Reese,  the 
blacksmith,  came  in  1803  ;  John  Despar,  a  French  baker, 
during  the  same  year;  also,  Dr.  Cyrenius  Chapin,  the  most 
famous  of  the  first  settlers  of  Buffalo  and  our  earliest  physician. 
His  daughter,  Louisa  M.,  now  Mrs.  Thaddeus  Weed,  was  born 
here  in  1803  and  is  to-day,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascer- 
tain, the  oldest  resident  of  Buffalo.  In  September,  1804, 
Captain  Samuel  Pratt  astonished  the  inhabitants  by  driving 
into  the  settlement  with  his  wife  and  children  in  the  first  fami- 
ly carriage  ever  seen  in  Erie  County.  Among  the  children 
was  a  little  girl,  now  Mrs.  George  Burt,  who  ranks  next  to 
Mrs.  Weed  as  a  resident.  The  precedence  over  the  male  sex 
of  Mrs.  Merrill,  Mrs.  Weed  and  Mrs.  Burt  in  respect  of  birth 
and  residence  in  our  city  was  prophetic  of  the  leading  position 
of  the  women  of  Buffalo  in  all  good  ways  and  works.  Our 
climate  has  always  been  favorable  to  the  longevity  as  well  as 
the  beauty  of  our  women.  In  1805  William  Hodge  settled 
here  with  his  son  William,  the  latter  of  whom  has,  I  believe, 
resided  in  Buffalo  longer  than  any  other  man  now  living. 
Our  patriarch,  like  the  patriarch  of  the  race,  has  been  through 
life  a  gardener  and  horticulturist,  but  he  has  never  fallen  from 


22        buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 

his  original  uprightness,  and  in  a  serene  old  age  retains  his 
paternal  Eden,  excepting  such  portions  as  he  has  voluntarily 
conveyed.     If  our  first  parents  had  pursued  the  same  course, 

we  might  all  of  us but  I  forbear  indulging  in  envious  and 

useless  speculations. 

Louis  Stephen  Le  Coulteulx,  a  French  gentlemen  of  noble 
family,  and  the  founder  of  St.  Louis  Church,  settled  here  in 
1804,  and,  excepting  at  short  intervals,  resided  here  until  his 
death  in  1839.  Some  of  my  audience  will  remember  his  usual 
appearance  on  our  streets ;  his  surtout  of  the  pattern  of  the 
French  revolutionary  era,  his  ruffled  sleeves  and  shirt,  his  gold- 
headed  cane,  and  the  courtly  grace  with  which  he  offered  snuff 
to  his  friends  from  the  jewelled  box  presented  to  him  by  Loui 
XVI. 

I  abandon  in  despair  the  attempt  further  to  recall  even  the 
names  of  the  early  settlers  of  Buffalo.  "  I  suppose  that  even 
the  world  itself  could  not  contain  the  books  that  should  be 
written,"  if  their  exploits  and  virtues  were  adequately 
portrayed. 

In  1810  the  town  of  Buffalo  was  created  by  an  act  of  the 
Legislature,  the  giant  parent  of  a  comparatively  dwarfish 
progeny,  for  it  included  what  are  now  known  as  Grand  Island, 
Tonawanda,  Amherst,  Cheektowaga,  the  north  part  of  West 
Seneca,  and  the  City  of  Buffalo. 

The  village  of  Buffalo  was  incorporated  in  1813. 

A  new  charter  was  obtained  in  1822,  under  which  its 
affairs  were  administered  until  the  organization  of  the  city 
government. 

One  most  memorable  event  had  occurred  almost  imme- 
diately after  the  incorporat:on  of  the  village.  On  the  30th 
day  of  December  1813,  it  was  burned  by  a  force  of  British 
regulars  and  Indians,  which,  crossing  from  Canada,  had  land- 
ed at  Scajaquada  Creek,  and  fought  its  way  up  to  North  Street. 
Only  seven  or  eight  houses  were  unconsumed.     On  the  first 


ORATION   BY    E.   C.    SPRAGUE,    ESQ.  23 

day  of  January,  1814,  the  enemy  reappeared  and  burned  the 
buildings  that  remained  excepting  the  Jail,  Reese's  black- 
smith shop  and  Mrs.  St.  John's  dwelling  house,  situated  on 
Main  Street,  opposite  the  present  Tifft  house.  I  cannot  dwell 
upon  the  afflicting  scenes  which  accompanied  and  followed 
the  destruction  of  the  infant  village.  They  are  graphically  des- 
cribed in  the  "  Centennial  History  of  Erie  County,"  by  Mr. 
Crisfleld  Johnson,  a  most  valuable  and  interesting  book,  to 
which  I  am  indebted  for  many  of  the  facts  contained  in  this 
address. 

On  the  sixth  day  of  January,  1814,  William  Hodge  re- 
turned with  his  family.  Ralph  Pomeroy  immediately  followed 
They  rebuilt  their  demolished  homes.  Buffalo  revived  slowly* 
but  it  was  not  a  new  community.  It  was  composed  for  the 
most  part  of  its  former  inhabitants.  Its  history  continues  to 
date  from  1804,  On  the  10th  of  April,  1814,  General  Scott 
assumed  command  in  Buffalo,  and  it  became  the  base  of  active 
military  operations  until  the  17th  of  September,  when  the 
victory  of  Fort  Erie,  won  by  the  valor  of  Scott,  Brown,  Porter 
and  Ripley,  brought  peace  to  the  Niagara  Frontier. 

Millard  Fillmore  settled  in  Buffalo  in  1822.  General 
Porter  had  taken  up  his  residence  at  Black  Rock  in  1810. 
Nathan  K.  Hall  became  a  citizen  of  Buffalo  in  1832.  I  collate 
these  dates  here  for  the  reason  that  General  Porter  was  Secre- 
tary of  War  under  President  John  Quincy  Adams,  and  Judge 
Hall  was  Postmaster-General  under  President  Fillmore.  Con- 
sequently, Buffalo  enjoys  the  unrivalled  distinction  of  having 
furnished  to  the  country  a  President  and  two  members  of  the 
Cabinet  of  the  United  States. 

The  year  1825  was  enlivened  by  a  visit  from  La  Fayette, 
and  is  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  dates  of  our  history,  it  be- 
ing the  year  in  which  the  Erie  Canal  was  finished.  In  1821 
there  settled  in  this  city  a  man  famous  in  his  time,  John 
Kuercher,  more   commonly  known  as  Water  John,  or  Dutch 


24       buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 

John.  He  is  supposed  to  be  the  first  German  who  put  his  foot 
upon  the  soil  of  Buffalo.  Jacob  Seibold  came  here  in  1822. 
In  1828,  when  such  important  families  as  the  Greys,  the  Bey- 
ers, the  Rooses,  the  Mesmers,  the  Haberstros,  and  others  of 
equal  note  came  to  this  city,  they  found  about  seventy  Ger- 
mans already  settled  here.  In  the  same  year  Jacob  Schanzlin 
appeared  upon  the  scene — a  memorable  event,  for  he  was  the 
first  man  who  taught  the  Buffalonians  the  taste  of  lager  beer. 
These  emigrants  were  the  forerunners  and  the  forefathers  of 
that  great  German  population  which  has  contributed  so  largely 
to  the  prosperity,  and  exercised  such  a  poweriul  influence  upon 
the  character,  of  our  community.  What  that  influence  is  like- 
ly to  be  in  the  future  may  be  to  some  extent  judged  by  a 
single  fact.  It  appears  from  the  report  of  the  Board  of 
Health  for  1879,  that  in  1878,  of  the  children  born  in  thiscity, 
1,975  were  of  German  descent ;  of  all  other  descents,  2,056, 
a  difference  of  only  81.  And  thus  omitting  a  hundred  events 
and  a  hundred  names,  which  I  should  have  been  glad  to 
chronicle  did  time  permit,  for  every  one  that  I  have  mentioned, 
we  come  to  the  year  1832,  when  the  village  awoke  to  the  fact 
that  it  contained  a  population  of  about  10,000  people,  and 
resolved  itself  into  a  city. 

So  far  I  have  hardly  alluded  to  the  most  important  factor  of. 
our  history — the  commerce  of  Buffalo — a  subject  so  extensive 
that  it  is  utterly  impossible  to  treat  it  historically  within  the 
limits  of  this  address.  I  shall  allude  to  a  few  of  its  most  impress- 
ive features,  illustrating  the  wonderful  changes  that  it  has  under- 
gone during  the  last  sixty  years.  I  ask  you  in  the  first  place  to 
picture  in  your  imagination  the  scenes  transpiring  at  Buffalo, 
before  the  construction  of  the  Erie  Canal,  when  the  trade  be- 
tween New  York  and  Black  Rock  was  carried  on  by  the 
Hudson  River  to  the  Mohawk,  by  the  Mohawk  and  Wills 
Creek,  with  their  land  portages,  to  Oneida  Lake,  by  Oneida 
Lake  and  Oswego  River  to  Oswego,  by  Lake  Ontario  from 


ORATION   BY   E.   C.    SPRAGUE,    ESQ.  25 

Oswego  to  Lewiston,  and  from  Lewiston  in  wagons  and  boats 
to  Chippewa,  Fort  Erie  and  Black  Rock.  But  even  this  long 
and  tortuous  journey  did  not  bring  the  carrier  to  Lake  Erie. 
The  current  from  the  lake  to  Fort  Erie  and  Black  Rock  had 
yet  to  be  overcome.  There  were  then  no  steam  tugs  darting 
through  our  waters,  instinct  with  life  and  motion.  A  strong 
and  favoring  breeze  might  occasionally  waft  a  schooner  to  the 
lake,  but  oftener  the  mariner  was  obliged  to  depend  upon 
what  the  sailors  derisively  called  a  "  horn  breeze" — that  is,  a 
tow  of  oxen,  which  constituted  one  of  the  chief  motive  powers 
of  our  infant  commerce.  In  1818  our  earliest  steamer,  the 
Walk  in  the  Water,  started  upon  her  first  voyage  from  Black 
Rock,  where  she  had  been  launched,  and  breasted  with  con- 
temptuous pride  the  opposing  current.  "  Ye  who  listen  with 
credulity  to  the  whispers  of  fancy  and  pursue  with  eagerness 
the  phantoms  of  hope,"  hearken  to  the  humiliating  sequel.  In 
vain  the  owners  prayed  to  Hercules  for  help.  Equally  in  vain 
did  the  firemen  stuff  kindling  wood  into  the  furnace.  In  this 
singular  contest  between  steam  and  water  power,  the  water 
power  came  out  victorious,  and  the  pioneer  of  the  majestic 
steamers  of  later  days,  yielding  to  hard  necessity,  and  aided 
by  a  "  horn  breeze"  was  literally  goaded  up  the  river  to  the 
lake.  During  this  period  the  ladies  of  Buffalo  visited  their 
aristocratic  friends  in  Fort  Erie  and  Chippewa  to  study  the 
latest  fashions  and  the  customs  of  good  society.  Batavia  and 
Black  Rock  appeared  upon  maps  designed  by  geographers  to 
whom  the  existence  of  Buffalo  was  unknown.  A  bar  of  hard 
gravel  and  sand  stretching  across  the  mouth  of  the  creek  and 
into  the  lake,  fordable  on  foot  in  dry  weather,  presented  an 
apparently  insuperable  obstacle  to  commerce.  Fort  Erie  and 
Black  Rock  were  rival  sisters  contending  for  the  hand  of  the 
Fairy  Prince,  who  should  control  the  future  commerce  of  the 
lakes.  Buffalo  was  the  humble  Cinderella  of  those  early  days. 
I  shall  not  rehearse  the  ofttold  tale  of  the  construction  of 


26        buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 

the  Erie  Canal — an  event  bearing  about  the  same  relation  to 
the  future  of  Buffalo  as  the  discoveries  of  Columbus  to  the  his- 
tory of  America,  or  the  creation  of  Adam  and  Eve  to  that  of 
the  human  race.  I  pause,  however,  upon  this  anniversary  to 
record  the  grateful  appreciation  of  the  City  of  Buffalo  of  the 
services  of  such  men  as  Colles,  Watson,  Morris,  Hawley,  For- 
man,  Colden,  Bouck,  and  Clinton,  whose  genius  suggested 
and  whose  perseverance  accomplished  the  mightiest  commercial 
and  engineering  enterprise  of  their  time.  One  fact  also  de- 
serves special  notice  upon  the  eve  of  an  anniversary  of  our 
revolutionary  era.  Washington  as  early  as  1774  foresaw  that 
the  Atlantic  City  which  should  first  connect  its  harbor  with 
the  lakes  would  become  the  metropolis  of  America,  and  urged 
the  building  of  canals  which  should  connect  the  James  River 
with  the  Ohio  and  Cuyahoga,  and  provide  a  water  communi- 
cation from  Norfolk  to  Cleveland.  After  the  war  he  renewed 
his  investigations,  by  journeys  to  the  Ohio  River  and  as  far 
west  as  Rome  in  this  State  ;  and  in  a  letter  to  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son, dated  March  29,  1784,  speaking  of  his  project  of  unit- 
ing James  River  to  Lake  Erie,  I  find  this  pregnant  sentence: 
•"I  am  satisfied  that  not  a  moment  ought  to  be  lost  in  recom- 
mencing this  business,  as  I  know  the  Yorkers  will  delay  no 
time  to  remove  every  obstacle  in  the  way  of  the  other  commu- 
nication, so  soon  as  the  posts  of  Niagara  and  Oswego  are 
surrendered,  and  I  shall  be  mistaken  if  they  do  not  build 
vessels  for  the  navigation  of  the  lakes."  The  "Yorkers," 
after  a  longer  delay  than  Washington  anticipated,  fulfilled  his 
prophecy.  Virginia  lost  her  opportunity.  New  York  seized 
it,  and  became  the  Empire  State. 

Two  events  more  and  I  close  the  history  of  the  founda- 
tions of  our  city.  The  construction  of  the  canal  being 
determined  upon,  the  question  whether  it  should  terminate  at 
Black  Rock  or  at  Buffalo  turned  the  two  villages  into  hostile 
camps.     Then  was  inaugurated  a  war  waged  with  "all    the 


ORATION   BY   E.    C.    SPRAGUE,   ESQ.  27 

means  that  God  and  Nature  had  placed  in  the  hands"  of  either 
party.  The  objection  to  Black  Rock  was  the  rapids  in  the 
Niagara;  to  Buffalo,  the  bar  across  the  creek.  I  invoke  your 
attention  to  one  of  the  most  momentous  scenes  in  our  history. 
In  a  room  at  the  Eagle  Tavern  in  Buffalo,  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Canal  Commissioners,  in  the  summer  of  1822,  with  De  Witt 
Clinton  as  presiding  officer,  an  argument  is  being  had  which 
is  to  decide  the  fate  of  the  rival  communities.  It  is  the  most 
important  cause  ever  argued  in  Erie  County.  For  Buffalo 
appears  Samuel  Wilkeson,  a  man  educated  in  the  school  of 
adversity,  the  twin  brother  of  Andrew  Jackson  in  height,  in 
erectness,  in  mental  vigor,  in  terseness  of  speech,  in  energy 
of  will.  General  Peter  B.  Porter,  one  of  the  most  famous  of 
the  Americans  of  his  time  as  a  soldier  and  a  statesman,  pleads 
the  cause  of  Black  Rock.  No  pains  or  expense  had  been 
spared  to  prepare  the  case  for  argument  on  behalf  of  Buffalo. 
Her  citizens,  with  Wilkeson  and  Charles  Townsend  and 
George  Coit  at  their  head,  have  with  their  own  hands  dug  out 
and  extinguished  the  bar  which  formed  the  chief  obstacle  to 
the  city's  hopes,  and  have  demonstrated  that  with  proper  piers 
Buffalo  can  furnish  a  harbor  in  which  all  the  commerce  of  the 
lakes  can  find  a  shelter  as  long  as  their  waters  shall  journey  to 
the  sea.  How  cheerfully  would  we  exchange  one  of  the 
orations  of  Demosthenes  or  Cicero  for  a  full  report  of  the 
speeches  of  that  day  !  Governor  Clinton  sums  up  the  argu- 
ment of  counsel.  Buffalo  wins  her  cause,  and  to-day  Black 
Rock,  incorporate  in  Buffalo,  enjoys  in  full  and  equal  measure 
all  the  beneficent  results  of  the  decision  rendered  just  sixty 
years  ago. 

One  picture  more  will  close  this  eventful  history.  The 
Erie  Canal  was  completed  and  opened  for  navigation  on  the 
26th  day  of  October,  1825.  We  may  well  believe  that  it  was 
a  day  of  rejoicing  in  Buffalo.  A  procession  was  formed  by 
her  citizens,  among  whom  rode  DeWitt  Clinton,  who,  with  a 


28        Buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 

committee  from  New  York,  had  arrived  the  preceding  eve- 
ning. The  procession  escorted  them  to  the  canal,  where  they 
embarked  upon  the  canal  boat  "Seneca  Chief,"  which  pro- 
ceeded upon  the  first  eastward  trip  ever  made  through  the  Erie 
Canal.  I  am  informed  that  our  respected  fellow-citizens  the 
Hon.  George  W.  Clinton,  and  William  Wilkeson,  Esq.,  were 
passengers  upon  this  trip.  DeWitt  Clinton  carried  with  him  a 
keg  of  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie,  which,  on  his  arrival  at  New 
York,  were  poured  into  the  Atlantic.  A  committee  of  the 
citizens  of  Buffalo  accompanied  the  Governor  to  New  York, 
obtained  a  keg  of  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic,  and  upon  their 
return  mingled  them,  with  due  solemnities,  with  the  waters  of 
the  lake.  They  were  not  aware  of  the  full  significance  of 
these  baptismal  rites.  It  is  not  even  yet  sufficiently  understood 
how  inseparably  mingled  for  weal  and  for  woe  are  the  fortunes 
of  Buffalo  and  the  City  of  New  York.  The  report  of  a  cannon 
announced  the  instant  when  the  "  Seneca  Chief"  started  upon 
her  voyage.  It  was  repeated  to  Albany  and  back  by  artillery 
placed  at  proper  distances  along  the  route.  The  salute  of 
Buffalo  was  returned  to  her  ears  by  Albany  in  three  hours  and 
twenty  minutes.  The  remainder  of  the  day  was  deveted  to 
banquets  at  the  Eagle  Tavern  aad  the  Mansion  House,  to 
speeches  and  odes,  to  hymns  of  praise  and  solemn  prayer. 
We  cannot  fully  appreciate  the  emotions  of  the  people  of  the 
little  village  upon  an  occasion  which  crowned  the  labors  and 
struggles  and  aspirations  of  years  with  such  complete  success. 
The  future  greatness  of  Buffalo  was  secured.  The  tide  of  its 
prosperity  began  to  rise  at  once.  Its  population  of  2,412  in 
1825  rose  to  8,680  in  1830.  Its  subsequent  development  into 
a  city  in  1832  was  the  natural  fruit  of  the  labors  of  the  men 
who  made  us  a  harbor,  and  fixed  the  terminus  of  the  Erie 
Canal. 

It  was  a  little  city,  erected^upon  the  substance  of  things 
hoped  for  rather  than  of  things  seen.     It  contained  a   few 


ORATION   BY   E.    C.    SPRAGUE,   ESQ.  29 

scattered  brick  buildings  and  perhaps  twenty  handsome  dwell- 
ings mostly  of  wood;  but  the  bulk  of  the  city  consisted  of 
frame  houses,  generally  from  one  to  two  stories  high,  even  on 
Main  Street.  The  ridge  of  land  running  from  Exchange, 
then  known  as  Crow  Street,  northerly,  lifted  Main,  Franklin 
and  Eilicott  and  the  intermediate  streets  out  of  the  bottomless 
mud  east  of  Eilicott  Street,  and  the  miry  clay  which,  west  of 
Franklin  Street,  absorbed  in  its  adhesive  depths  the  wheels  of 
wagons  and  the  boots  of  pedestrians.  Niagara  Street,  crossed 
and  hollowed  by  running  streams,  was  sometimes  impassable  to 
man  or  beast.  Extending  from  the  corner  of  Main  Street 
and  the  Terrace  westerly  around  to  Court  Street  was  a  high 
bluff,  down  which  the  boys  coasted  through  Main  and  Com- 
mercial Streets.  The  streets  were  unpaved  and  the  darkness 
of  Main  Street  was  made  visible  by  a  few  oil  lamps.  But  all 
the  people  knew  each  other,  even  in  the  dark,  and  congregat- 
ed at  the  Eagle  Tavern,  the  Mansion  House,  the  Buffalo  Hotel 
and  Perry's  Coffee  House,  and,  on  pleasant  days,  in  Main 
Street  on  the  various  corners  from  Court  to  Seneca  Streets, 
cracking  jokes  and  discussing  politics.  Conversation  had  not 
then  become  one  of  the  lost  arts,  and  absorbed  the  time  now 
devoted  to  newspapers.  Albert  H.  Tracy  cultivated  it  to  the 
highest  degree  of  perfection.  The  city  was  full  of  plucky  men, 
who  did  not  hesitate  to  speak  their  mind,  like  Reuben  B. 
Heacock  and  Thomas  C.  Love  ;  of  pungent  wits  like  Manly 
Colton  and  David  M.  Day ;  of  quaint  humorists  like  Harry 
Slade  and  Guy  H.  Salisbury,  the  Charles  Lamb  of  Buffalo  ;  of 
peripatetic  philosophers  like  Roswell  W.  Haskins,  the  Socrates 
of  our  city.  The  daily  street  costumes  of  some  of  our  leading 
citizens,  in  ]832,  was  a  black  or  blue  dress*  coat,  with  costly 
gilt  buttons,  a  voluminous  white  cravat,  a  ruffled  shirt, 
accompanied  by  the  "  nice  conduct"  of  a  gold-headed  cane. 
Main  Street  presented  a  picturesque  variety,  including  elegant- 
ly dressed  gentlemen  and   ladies,   blanketed   and  moccasined 


30        buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 

Indians,  and  emigrants  in  the  strange  costumes  of  foreign 
lands.  Most  of  the  business  was  done  upon  the  west  side  of 
Main  Street,  between  Mohawk  and  Exchange.  Mayor  John- 
son's stone  cottage,  now  occupied  by  the  Female  Academy, 
stood  in  solitary  state  on  Delaware  Avenue,  which  was  devoted 
for  the  most  part  to  lumber  yards  and  soap  factories.  The 
dwellings  north  of  Mohawk  Street  were  few  and  far  between. 
It  was  considered  a  long  walk  to  Chippewa  Street,  and  a  hard- 
ship to  walk  as  far  as  Tupper  Street. 

It  appears  by  the  Directory  of  1832  that  the  city  contain- 
ed six  churches,  eight  "  institutions,"  including  some  debating 
societies,  two  banks,  and  an  insurance  company,  and  a  library 
of  "nearly  700  volumes."  I  have  looked  in  vain  for  the 
record  of  a  single  charitable  association.  There  were  sixteen 
public  and  private  schools  in  the  city,  but  the  scholars  in  them 
all  would  not  equal  those  attending  one  or  two  of  the  great 
schools  of  the  present  day.  Sixty  mails  a  week  during  the 
winter  and  eighty-eight  during  the  season  of  navigation  were 
"  received,  made-up  and  dispatched  at  the  Post-office."  Of 
the  amount  of  property  shipped  from  this  port  it  is  stated  that 
no  certain  information  can  be  obtained,  but  we  are  informed 
that  there  were  "  ten  store-houses  for  the  transaction  of  lake 
and  canal  business."  Even  then,  however,  the  steamboats  on 
the  lakes,  though  few  in  numbei ,  were  among  the  best  in  the 
country,  and  were  crowded  with  passengers,  who  had  arrived 
from  Albany  on  the  canal,  and  were  seeking  a  home  in  Ohio 
and  Michigan. 

There  were  some  forty  manufacturing  establishments  in 
the  city,  perhaps  altogether  not  equaling  in  capital  and  men 
employed  one  of  the  great  establishments  of  the  present  day. 

I  should  be  glad  to  dwell  more  particularly  upon  the  sta- 
tistics and  characteristics  of  our  infant  city,  but  other  topics 
demand  my  consideration.  I  close  here  the  historical  portion 
of  this  address.     I  fear  my  audience  may  be  disappointed  by 


ORATION   BY    E.    C.    SPRAGUE,    ESQ.  31 

my  apparent  neglect  of  the  distinguished  men  and  excellent 
women  who  in  the  professions,  in  commerce,  in  the  mechanical 
arts,  and  other  departments  of  life,  have  adorned  the  annals  of 
our  city  during  the  last  fifty  years.  Still  more  will  you  miss 
the  history  of  the  churches,  the  schools,  the  scientific  and 
literary  societies,  and  the  charitable  institutions,  which  bear 
such  various  and  honorable  testimony  to  the  character  of  our 
people.  But  a  moment's  reflection  will  convince  you  that  such 
a  narrative  is  impossible  on  an  occasion  like  this.  It  would 
necessarily  be  so  incomplete  as  to  be  useless,  or  a  mere  chron- 
ological table  of  names  and  dates.  It  would  take  hours  to 
tell  how  the  city  was  visited  in  1832,  and  in  other  years,  by 
cholera  and  by  fire  ;  how  during  the  speculations  of  1835  it 
rose  "  like  a  rocket,"  and,  in  1837,  "  dropped  like  the  stick;" 
how  its  population  and  wealth  have  increased  from  decade 
to  decade  j  how  its  various  religious  and  charatable  institu- 
tions have  been  founded  and  maintained  ;  how  its  public 
works  and  buildings  have  been  built  and  paid  for  ;  how  its 
literary,  artistic  and  scientific  associations  have  been  establish- 
ed and  sustained  ;  how  its  manufactories  have  been  planted, 
and  watered,  and  borne  abundant  harvests ;  how  its  press  has 
multiplied  and  grown  in  efficiency  and  usefulness  ;  how  its 
school  system  has  been  developed  into  its  present  magnificent 
proportions  j  how  the  railroads  centering  in  this  city  have 
been  organized  and  constructed  ;  how,  in  1838,  the  burning 
of  the  Caroline  draped  our  peaceful  city  in  the  dread  habili- 
ments of  War;  how,  in  1844,  the  city  was  submerged  by  the 
great  flood  ;  how,  finally,  in  spite  of  flood,  and  fire,  and  pesti- 
lence, and  panics,  it  has  steadily  pushed  forward  and  spread 
and  multiplied  into  the  Buffalo  of  1882. 

Still  more  hopeless  would  be  the  task  of  describing  the 
careers  and  characters  of  our  distinguished  men  :  Lawyers  (and 
I  speak  only  of  the  dead)  like  Love,  Fillmore,  Sheldon, 
Smith,  Ford,  Barker,    Hall,   Cook,   Babcock,    Stowe,   Haven, 


32       buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 

Sill,  Rogers,  the  Austins,  Bowen,  Verplanck,  Masten,  Hoyt, 
Sherwood,  Ganson,  Nichols,  Laning  and  Greene;  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  such  as  Chapin,  Marshall,  Trowbridge,  Burwell, 
Sprague,  Loomis,  Wilcox,  Bristol,  Barnes,  Pratt,  Winne  and 
White;  Bishops,  Pastors  and  Preachers,  like  Timon,  Hawks, 
Fillmore,  Searle,  Eaton,  Hopkins,  Clark,  Hotchkiss,  Lord, 
Heacock,  Grabau,  Hosmer,  Smith  and  Guenther;  Business 
Men,  such  as  Siebold,  Wilkeson,  Barton,  Bird,  Coe,  Sey- 
mour, Thompson,  Townsend,  Coit,  Heacock,  the  Grosvenors, 
the  Pratts,  Joy,  Webster,  the  McKnights,  the  Weeds, 
Handel,  Orlando  Allen,  Blossom,  Dorsheimer,  Zahm,  Palmer, 
Aaron  Rumsey,  the  Riches,  Wilson,  Richmond,  Noye,  Sawyer, 
Tifft  and  hosts  of  others  of  equal  importance,  whom  the  flight 
of  time  forbids  me  to  mention.  »*  If  you  seek  their  monu- 
ments look  around  you."  They  are  to  be  found  in  every 
street  and  square  in  Buffalo. 

Let  me  not  forget,  however,  the  name  of  Joseph  Dart,  the 
modest  and  unassuming  man,  who,  in  1843,  devised  and 
erected  in  Buffalo  the  first  steam-elevator  of  grain  ever  built  in 
the  world  ;  an  instrument  of  commerce  second  in  importance 
only  to  the  steamboat  and  the  locomotive,  among  the  inven- 
tions of  modern  times,  and  without  which  it  would  be  utterly 
impossible  to  move  to  the  seaboard  the  enormous  crops  of  the 
Western  States.  Nor  should  we  fail  to  remember  among  the 
men  of  our  own  time,  Captain  Eben  P.  Dorr,  indefatigable  in  his 
benevolence,  and  Oliver  G.  Steele,  to  whose  enterprise  and 
public  spirit  we  are  so  largely  indebted  for  the  perfection  of 
our  public  works,  and  of  our  school  system. 

One  scene,  however,  in  the  drama  of  our  history  it  is  a 
sacred  duty  and  satisfaction  to  commemorate  on  this  anniver- 
sary. On  the  morning  of  the  15th  day  of  April,  1861,  the 
news  of  the  sin  render  of  Fort  Sumter  reached  Buffalo.  On 
the  third  of  May  four  companies  of  volunteers,  completely 
organized,  left  the  city  for  the  State  Camp  of  Instruction  at 


3 

ORATION   BY   E.    C.    SPRAGUE,    ESQ.  33 

Elmira,  escorted  to  the  cars  by  the  Union  Continentals,  under 
the  command  of  Captain  Fillmore.  From  that  day  to  the 
13th  day  of  June,  1865,  when  we  welcomed  back  to  Buffalo 
the  slender  and  war-worn  remains  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Sixteenth  Regiment,  the  record  of  our  soldiers  for  bravery, 
fortitude  and  devotion  to  duty  is  unsurpassed  in  the  history  of 
the  War,  and  confers  imperishable  renown  upon  Buffalo  and 
Erie  County.  I  call  to  witness  the  campaign  under  Pope,  the 
battles  of  Rappahannock  Station,  White  Sulphur  Springs,  Grove- 
ton,  South  Mountain,  Antietam  and  Fredericksburg, on  behalf  of 
our  first-born  regiment,  the  Twenty-first,  under  the  command 
of  Col.  Rogers.  I  recall  to  your  recollection  its  famous  charge 
in  the  face  of  a  deadly  fire  of  infantry,  and  enfiladed  by  a 
storm  of  grape  and  canister,  at  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run. 
I  desire  to  commemorate  the  fearful  history  of  the  Forty-ninth, 
under  Col.  Bidwell;  how,  over  and  over  again,  its  ranks  were 
decimated  and  how  its  officers  perished  during  the  Chickahominy 
campaign,  at  the  terrible  battles  of  the  Wilderness,  in  the 
assault  on  Fort  Stevens,  and  at  the  battle  of  Cedar  Creek, 
hallowed  by  the  death  of  the  gallant  leader  of  the  regiment 
which  he  had  organized.  Never  let  us  forget  the  services  and 
sufferings  of  the  Hundreth  at  Williamsburg  and  Seven  Pines, 
nor  the  fame  it  achieved  at  Gaines  Mill,  at  the  siege  and  cap- 
ture of  Forts  Wagner  and  Sumter,  at  the  capture  of  Fort 
Darling,  Drury's  Bluff  and  Deep  Bottom,  at  the  siege  of  Peters- 
burg and  the  capture  of  Fort  Greig. 

Equally  precious  to  Buffalo  should  be  the  remembrance 
of  the  career  of  the  One  Hundred  and '  Sixteenth,  crowded 
with  sad  and  glorious  memories;  the  victory  of  Fort  Plain,  the 
assaults  which  terminated  in  the  surrender  of  Fort  Hudson, 
where  Chapin  in  the  full  glory  of  his  youth,  gave  his  life  to  his 
country;  the  toils  of  the  Red  River  campaign  of  1864;  the 
victories  of  Sabine  Cross  Roads  and  Pleasant  Hill ;  the  still 
more  glorious   triumphs   of  Opequan   and  Cedar  Creek   and 


34        Buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 

Winchester.  Nor  should  we  forget  the  One  Hundred  and 
Eighty- fourth,  organized  in  the  fall  of  1864,  which,  although 
it  only  served  nine  months,  won  unfading  laurels  at  the  battle 
of  Hatcher's  Run. 

Besides  these  five  regiments  which  Buffalo  and  Erie  Coun- 
ty furnished  to  the  country,  we  commemorate  on  this  occasion 
the  services  of  the  German  Battery,  organized  by  Col.  Michael 
Wiedrich,  which  won  enduring  fame  at  the  battles  of  Cross 
Keys,  Freeman's  Ford,  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  Chan- 
cellorsville,  Gettysburg,  Lost  Mountain,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  at 
the  siege  of  Atlanta,  and  on  its  march  with  Sherman  to  the 
sea.  Let  us  not  omit  in  this  record  Batteries  Twenty-seven 
and  Thirty-three,  under  Eaton  and  Wheeler,  and  the  compa- 
nies under  Byrne,  Graham,  Kelly,  Wells  and  Stevenson — all 
of  which,  in  various  regiments,  rendered  gallant  and  effective 
service  in  the  great  cause. 

To  these  are  to  be  added  the  achievements  of  the  Second 
Mounted  Rifles,  under  Col.  Fiske,  and  the  10th,  11th,  12th 
and  25th  Regiments  of  New  York  Cavalry,  whose  ranks  and 
whose  officers  were  recruited  largely  from  Buffalo  and  Erie 
County.  The  narratives  of  Stowits,  Clark,  Mills  and  John- 
son, are  most  affecting  and  eloquent  tributes  to  the  fortitude 
and  bravery  of  our  troops.  There  are  no  regiments  in  the 
War  that  can  produce  records  of  more  battles  fought,  hard- 
ships endured,  labors  accomplished,  and  victories  achieved. 
May  the  recollection  of  their  heroic  deeds  be  cherished  in 
grateful  hearts  by  the  people  of  Buffalo  from  generation  to 
generation. 

The  efforts  of  our  soldiers  in  the  field  were  ably  seconded 
by  the  unswerving  devotion  to  a  vigorous  war  policy  of  our 
representatives  in  Congress — Mr.  James  M.  Humphrey,  Mr. 
John  Ganson  and  Mr.  Elbridge  G.  Spaulding.  Mr.  Spauld- 
ing  framed,  introduced  and  urged  through  Congress  the  first 
bill  authorizing  the  issue  of  legal-tender  Treasury  notes,  and 


ORATION   BY   E.    C.    SPRAGUE,    ESQ.  35 

his  financial  experience  exhibited  in  this  and  other  kindred 
measures  was  in  constant  demand  and  of  invaluable  service  to 
the  administration  of  President  Lincoln. 

Our  soldiers  will  be  the  first  to  acknowledge  how  con- 
stantly they  were  cheered  and  supported  by  the  Buffalo  branch 
of  the  Sanitary  Commission,  and  by  the  sympathy  and  exer- 
tion of  all  our  citizens.  I  shall  not  undertake  to  mention  or 
to  number  the  men  and  women  of  Buffalo  who  consecrated 
themselves  to  their  service ;  but  I  could  hardly  forgive  myself 
if  I  omitted  upon  the  present  occasion,  the  beloved  and  honor- 
ed name  of  Elizabeth  Seymour. 

I  choose  as  the  last  topic  of  this  address  the  City  of  Buff- 
alo in  1882  as  compared  with  Buffalo  fifty  years  ago.  Such  a 
comparison  forms  in  itself  a  condensed  history  of  our  city 
during  this  period. 

In  regard  to  our  commercial  and  manufacturing  interests, 
it  is  difficult  to  convey  an  idea  of  their  amazing  growth, 
because  the  figures  are  simply  unthinkable,  and  make  no  defi- 
nite impression  upon  the  mind.  The  commercial  editors  of 
our  great  newspapers,  and  Mr.  Thurstone  in  his  "  Five 
Minutes'  Talk  about  Buffalo,"  which  should  be  read  by  every 
citizen,  tell  us  that  in  a  single  year  we  have  imported  into  the 
city  4,000,000  head  of  live  stock,  175,000,000  bushels  of 
grain  (including  flour),  2, 500,000  tons  of  coal  and  364,000,000 
feet  of  lumber ;  that  our  elevators  have  a  storage  capacity  of 
8,000,000  bushels ;  that  in  a  single  year  we  have  manufactured 
1,250,000  barrels  of  flour,  malted  4,000,000  bushels  of  barley, 
brewed  300,000  barrels  of  beer,  manufactured  $5,000,000 
worth  of  leather,  $1,500,000  worth  of  boots  and  shoes,  and  so 
on  through  column  after  column  ;  but  our  minds  are  incapable 
of  grasping  these  enormous  figures.  For  commercial  purposes 
the  geographical  position  of  Buffalo  has  but  few  rivals  among 
the  interior  cities  of  the  continent.  The  great  lakes  consti- 
tute the  Mediterranean  Sea  of  America.     Their  commerce  is 


36        buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 

yet  in  its  infancy,  and  the  towns  which  are  favorably  situated 
upon  their  borders  may  reasonably  expect  to  rival  in  greatness 
the  most  famous  maritime  cities  of  the  ancient  world. 

It  is  certainly  true  that  we  are  fast  becoming  one  of  the 
great  centers  of  iron  manufacture ;  that  we  are  competing  with 
the  largest  cities  in  the  country  in  the  production  of  leather, 
clothing,  starch,  soap,  grape-sugar,  and  furniture,  and  in  lith- 
ographing, printing  and  engraving.  Our  manufacturing 
industries  have  largely  increased  since  1879-1880,  and  by  the 
returns  of  the  National  Census  compiled  in  those  years,  it  ap- 
pears that  Buffalo  was  then  the  eleventh  city  of  the  country  in 
the  rank  and  the  number  of  its  manufacturing  establishments. 
The  number  is  stated  to  be  1,137,  and  the  value  of  their 
products  over  $40,000,000.  One  hundred  and  fifty-eight 
departments  of  industry  appear  in  the  returns. 

The  wholesale  mercantile  business  of  the  city  has  not  kept 
pace  with  its  manufactures,  but  it  has  steadily  grown  with  the 
concentration  of  railroads  at  this  point,  and  is  destined  to  in- 
crease with  the  growth  of  our  facilities  for  transportation. 

Passing  from  these  details  let  us  devote  a  moment  to  a 
more  general  view  of  the  material  results  of  the  labors  of  the 
past  fifty  years.  Our  population  has  reached  at  least  170,000. 
Our  territory  has  grown  to  be  nine  miles  in  length  and  about 
five  in  width.  Niagara  River  protects  Canada  from  invasion, 
but  there  seems  no  limit  to  its  outgrowth  toward  the  East,  and 
as  we  travel  over  and  through  its  acres  of  tracks  and  cars,  we 
might  imagine  that  we  were  in  the  railroad  center  of  the  world. 
The  tracks  of  fifteen  railroad  companies  terminate  upon  our 
soil.  Others  are  proposed.  They  are  and  will  be  each  and 
all  rich  sources  of  our  present  and  future  wealth.  Nevertheless 
let  us  not  suffer  to  perish  the  good  mother  who  gave  us  birth, 
who  nursed  us  through  our  infancy,  who  has  always  been  to  us 
a  faithful  friend — the  grand  old  Erie  Canal.  The  argument 
of  Buffalo  upon  the  subject  of  canal  and  railroad  transporta- 


ORATION   BY   E.    C.    SPRAGUE,    ESQ.  37 

tion  is  short  and,  to  my  mind,  convincing.  The  pre-eminence 
of  Buffalo  and  of  the  State  of  New  York  depend  upon  the 
maintenance  of  New  York  City  as  the  metropolis  of  the  Union. 
This  cannot  be  accomplished  by  railroad  competition  only. 
Let  him  who  doubts  this  read  Mr.  E.  H.  Walker's  statement 
that  the  railroads  of  New  York  State  have  delivered  at  Atlantic 
ports  during  the  last  four  or  five  years  only  one-third  of  the 
cereals  reaching  the  Atlantic  by  rail,  while  the  other  railroads 
have  delivered  the  remaining  two-thirds.  The  pre-eminence 
of  New  York  City  and  New  York  State  can  be  preserved — it 
can  only  be  preserved,  it  must  be  preserved — by  making  the 
canal  a  free  highway,  ample  for  all  demands,  and  by  the  united 
efforts  of  the  canal,  the  railroad  companies,  and  the  people  of 
the  State,  to  keep  the  State  whatNatuie  designed  it  to  be  :  the 
chief  highway  of  the  commerce  not  only  between  the  Western 
and  Eastern  States,  but  between  the  Pacific  and  the  Atlantic 
Oceans.  With  a  hearty  and  intelligent  accord  between  these 
interests  there  would  be  business  enough  for  all,  and  we  could 
defy  competition.  The  level  valley  of  the  Mohawk  is  the  key 
to  the  commerce  of  the  Continent  if  we  know  how  to  use  it. 
If  the  State  is  faithful  to  itself  I  prophesy  that  when  the  North- 
ern Pacific  Railroad  is  completed,  there  will  flow  through 
Buffalo  to  New  York  City  the  bulk  of  its  freightage  ;  not  only 
the  products  of  the  immense  wheat  fields  of  the  Red  River 
region,  but  a  large  proportion  of  the  commerce  of  Asia  with 
the  Eastern  States  and  with  Europe.  There  is  not  a  kingdom 
in  the  old  world  that  would  hesitate  a  moment  to  expend  a 
hundred  millions  of  dollars  for  the  purpose  of  securing  this 
trade.  I  have  no  time  for  details.  Examine  the  map  of  the 
world  for  yourselves.  You  will  see  why  the  projectors  and 
managers  of  railroads — sagacious  and  far-seeing — are  strug- 
gling for  approaches  to  the  International  Bridge,  and  pouring 
out  money  like  water  for  real  estate  in  Buffalo. 

Our  city  contains  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of 


38        buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 

avenues  and  streets,  over  one  hundred  of  which  are  paved,  and 
about  one  hundred  and  fifteen  miles  of  sewerage.  Its  street 
railways  afford  facilities  for  approach  to  every  quarter  of  the 
city.  Its  supply  of  the  pure  waters  of  the  great  lakes,  by 
means  of  works  which  have  cost  three  millions  of  dollars, 
amounts  to  eighteen  millions  of  gallons  daily  delivered  through 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  of  water  mains.  Our 
humblest  citizen  can  take  his  morning  bath  in  the  waters  of 
Lakes  Superior,  Huron,  Michigan,  St.  Clair  and  Erie.  The 
city  is  abundantly  lighted  with  gas,  the  price  of  which  affords 
an  unfailing  topic  of  denunciatory  conversation.  Our  City 
and  County  Hall,  erected  at  a  cost  of  a  million  and  a  half  of 
dollars,  is  admirably  adapted  to  its  purposes.  Falconwood, 
Oakfield,  and  Beaver  Island  afford  us  pleasant  and  refreshing 
resorts.  Our  Soldiers'  Monument,  after  a  too  long  delay,  will 
soon  lift  its  lofty  column  in  memory  of  our  heroic  dead.  Our 
public  parks  embrace  more  than  six  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land,  including  the  lake  and  about  ten  miles  of  noble  park- 
ways, and  will,  when  their  elms  shall  have  attained  their  growth, 
be  an  object  of  wonder  to  all  who  shall  enjoy  their  sunny 
slopes  and  shady  avenues.  We  have  streets  which,  in  the 
beauty  of  their  trees  and  residences,  are  unsurpassed  in  this  or 
any  other  country.  We  are  within  an  hour's  ride  of  the  Falls  of 
Niagara.  Adding  to  these  features  a  climate  as  healthy  and  a 
temperature  as  free  from  extremes  as  any  in  our  latitude,  and 
considering  that  as  a  summer  residence  it  is  perhaps  superior 
to  any  of  our  large  cities,  we  may  say  without  extravagance 
than  Buffalo  combines  very  remarkable  attractions  as  a  business 
centre  and  a  place  of  residence. 

Our  social,  educational  and  religious  institutions  are  not 
unworthy  of  our  increasing  prosperity.  There  are  nearly 
twenty  thousand  registered  pupils  at  our  thirty-eight  public 
schools,  besides  those  attending  between  forty  and  fifty  other 
schools,    including   such  institutions   as  the  Buffalo    Female 


ORATION    BY   E.    C.    SPRAGUE,   ESQ.  39 

Academy,  the  Normal  School  and  the  Medical  Department  of 
the  University  of  Buffalo.  More  than  a  hundred  thousand 
volumes  are  to  be  found  in  the  libraries  of  the  Young  Men's 
Association,  the  Grosvenor  Library,  the  German  Young  Men's 
Association,  the  Buffalo  Catholic  Institute,  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  the  Mechanics'  Institute,  the  Erie 
Railway  Library  Association  and  the  Buffalo  Law  Library. 
The  Fine  Art  Academy  needs  further  endowment ;  but  individ- 
ual generosity  has  adorned  it  with  pictures  and  statuary,  which 
afford  pleasure  and  instruction  to  the  lovers  and  students  of 
art.  The  collections  of  the  Buffalo  Society  of  Natural  Sciences 
furnish  a  striking  example  of  what  can  be  accomplished  by 
zeal  and  perseverance  in  the  face  of  disheartening  discourage- 
ments, and  I  congratulate  the  society  that  by  the  munificence 
of  our  lamented  fellow-citizen,  Dr.  George  E.  Hayes,  the 
society  is  established  upon  a  foundation  which  will  so  largely 
increase  its  usefulness  and  reputation.  Ourclubs  are  elegantly 
furnished,  and  our  places  of  amusement  well  conducted.  Our 
Fire  Department  is  as  perfect  as  experience  can  devise.  Our 
police  force  continues  to  maintain  its  ancient  fame.  Our  mil- 
itary organizations  are  the  objects  of  the  just  pride  of  our  citi- 
zens. More  than  one  hundred  churches,  synagogues  and  other 
places  of  worship — some  of  them  excellent  specimens  of  eccles- 
iastical architecture — have  been  erected  and  are  supported  by 
the  voluntary  offerings  of  our  people;  nor  is  it  possible  to  esti- 
mate the  consolations,  the  charities,  the  earnest  faith  and  the 
holy  lives  of  which  they  have  been  the  source  and  inspiration. 
Time  fails  me  even  to  enumerate  the  hospitals,  asylums 
and  other  benevolent  institutions,  which,  from  the  foundation 
of  the  Buffalo  Orphan  Asylum  in  1837,  to  that  of  the  Fitch 
Institute  during  the  present  year,  are  an  expression  of  the 
humane  character  of  our  era  and  of  our  city.  There  are  in 
Buffalo  to-day  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  corporations  and 
associations  for  the  promotion  of  temperance,  for  the  care  of 


40        buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 

the  insane,  the  deaf  and  the  dumb,  for  the  benefit  of  the  widow 
and  the  orphan,  and  the  relief  of  every  form  of  suffering  and 
sorrow.  Twenty  cemeteries,  from  the  humblest  to  Forest 
Lawn,  whose  natural  beauty  is  a  solace  and  delight,  have  been 
dedicated  by  affection  to  the  repose  of  the  dead.  These  evi- 
dences of  a  refined  and  Christian  civilization,  afford  a  decisive 
answer  to  the  mourners  who  go  about  the  streets  lamenting  the 
want  of  public  spirit  among  the  people  of  Buffalo.  It  is  true, 
nevertheless,  that  too  many  of  our  most  deserving  charities, 
such  as  our  hospitals  and  asylums,  are  still  almost  struggling  for 
existence  for  want  of  more  liberal  endowments.  But  we  should 
reflect  that  a  large  proportion  of  the  first  half  century  of  a 
city's  life  is  itself  a  struggle  for  existence.  Endowments  are 
the  slow  products  of  time  as  well  as  of  wealth. 

"  Cast  in  some  diviner  mould, 

May  the  new  cycle  shame  the  old." 

But  for  one  I  am  persuaded  that  at  the  end  of  another  cycle 
of  fifty  years  the  generation  of  that  day  will  look  back  not 
scornfully  or  reproachfully,  but  rather  with  grateful  admiration 
upon  the  achievements  of  the  first  half  century  of  the  life  of 
the  City  of  Buffalo. 

Before  closing  this  address,  I  beg  leave  to  congratulate  the 
Buffalo  Historical  Society,  under  whose  auspices  we  have  met 
this  evening,  upon  the  success  which  has  thus  far  attended  its 
efforts  to  collect  the  material  for,  and  to  encourage  the  study 
of,  the  history  of  our  city  and  of  Western  New  York.  Its  col- 
lections and  historical  papers  are  invaluable.  It  has  already 
done  much  to  promote  public  spirit,  to  encourage  a  proper 
municipal  pride,  and  to  cultivate  friendly  and  helpful  inter- 
course among  our  people.  It  should  receive  the  cordial  sup- 
port of  every  member  of  the  community.  Indeed,  no  citizen 
can  be  said  to  have  honorably  graduated,  and  taken  his  full 
degree  as  a  Buffalonian,  until  he  has  enrolled  himself  as  a 
member  of  the  Historical  Society. 


ORATION   BY    E.   C.    SPRAGUE,    ESQ.  41 

Having  said  so  much  in  regard-to  our  advantages  let  me  add 
a  concluding  word  as  to  our  duties  as  citizens  of  Buffalo.  We 
may  without  hesitation  confide  the  interests  of  the  city  to  the 
generation  to  whom  we  elders  are  transmitting  the  guardian- 
ship of  this  great  inheritance.  The  trust  will  be  more  intelli- 
gently administered  and  its  objects  more  generously  sustained, 
as  the  city  grows  in  population,  wealth  and  culture.  Two 
duties  especially  they  and  we  are  bound  by  every  consideration 
of  interest  and  honor  to  perform,  these,  namely:  in  all  matters 
touching  the  welfare  of  the  city  to  speak  our  honest  thought 
courageously,  and  to  vote,  neither  asking  nor  fearing  the  favor 
or  the  hate  of  any  man  or  party  whatsoever.  If  to  the  enter- 
prise and  public  spirit  of  our  citizens  we  shall  add  a  pure  and 
enlightened  city  government,  we  can  hardly  expand  too  wide- 
ly the  horizon  of  our  hopes,  This  object  demands  the  vigor- 
ous assertion  by  speech  and  by  vote  of  the  honest  convictions 
of  every  citizen.  Our  Mayor  and  all  our  public  officers  who 
are  endeavoring  to  maintain  good  government  should  be  sus- 
tained by  a  united  and  out-spoken  public  sentiment.  It  is 
only  on  rare  occasions  that  any  question  of  national  or  state 
politics,  or  the  victory  of  any  political  party,  is  as  important 
to  the  people  of  Buffalo  as  the  question  whether  we  shall  enjoy 
a  wise  and  honest  administration  of  our  municipal  affairs. 
The  time  has  come  when  all  hesitation  and  timidity  upon  a 
subject  which  involves  so  deeply  our  personal  interests  and 
the  reputation  of  our  city  should  be  cast  to  the  winds.  Politi- 
cal parties,  however  useful  or  necessary,  should,  like  govern- 
ments, be  the  servants  and  not  the  masters  of  the  people.  I 
honor  party  loyalty  ;  I  perfectly  appreciate  the  necessity  of  a 
reasonable  party  discipline  ;  but  when  any  political  organiza- 
tion seeks  to  coerce  the  votes  of  American  citizens  in  behalf  of 
unworthy  candidates,  by  application  of  the  party  lash,  by 
threats  of  exclusion  from  party  honors,  and  of  excommunica- 
tion from  the  party   fold,  then  discipline  becomes  an  odious 


42        buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebeation. 

tyranny,  and  it  is  time  to  issue  a  new  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence. We  celebrate  to-morrow  with  unusual  ceremony,  the 
anniversary  of  the  Declaration  of  1776.  Let  the  people  of 
Buffalo  consecrate  the  day  by  a  solemn  resolution  that  from 
this  time  forth  they  will  support  no  man  for  any  public  trust 
whose  personal  character  shall  not  afford  ample  security  that 
its  duties  will  be  faithfully  and  intelligently  discharged. 

Let  us  separate  to-night,  devoting  ourselves  anew  to  the 
service  of  our  beloved  city,  and  rejoicing  in  the  hope  that 
when  the  next  fifty  years  shall  have  finished  their  course,  the 
full-orbed  century  of  our  city's  life  will  be  crowned  by  the 
complete  fulfillment  of  our  most  sanguine  prophecies. 


The  "  Star  Spangled  Banner  "  was  given  by  the  orchestra, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Chester  pronounced  a  benediction,  and  while 
the  strains  of  the  grand  march  from  "  Boccaccio  "  filled  the 
air,  the  audience  dispersed. 


SEMI  CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION 

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EBENEZEE  JOHNS01 

Mayor 


882  POPULATION  15  C.  0  3  Z 

GROWER   CLEVELAND, 
Mayor. 


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JNIVERSIT71 


SOLDIERS   AND  SAILORS    MONUMENT 
IS82. 


Proceedings  on  the  4th  of  July,  1882. 


(Fro?n  the  Buffalo  Commercial  Advertiser,  July  5,    1882.) 

The  weather,  unfortunately,  interfered  to  some  extent  with 
the  grandest  celebration  of  American  Independence  ever 
organized  in  Buffalo.  The  monster  demonstration  was  also  in 
honor  of  the  semi-centennial  birthday  of  the  city,  and  the  oc- 
casion was  appropriately  improved  to  lay  the  corner  stone  of 
the  Soldiers'  Monument.  We  are  enabled  to  give  our  readers 
in  this  paper  a  very  complete  account  of  the  entire  observ- 
ances. 

The  sun  rose  yesterday  morning,  clear  and  bright,  but 
soon  became  overclouded  and  did  not  again  show  his  face  dur- 
ing the  day.  More  and  more  threatening  grew  the  skies,  and 
the  temperature  was  unusually  chilly.  "  The  coldest  Fourth 
of  July  ever  known,"  was  the  remark  of  many  old  residents. 
The  expected  rain,  however  kept  off,  until  about  1  p.  m., 
when  a  light  shower  began  to  fall.  Soon  it  came  down 
heavier,  sadly  interfering  with  but  not  postponing,  the  cere- 
monies of  the  corner-stone  laying.  A  light  drizzle  ensued, 
continuing  most  of  the  afternoon,  and  in  the  evening  about 
8.30,  it  began  to  pour  again,  thus  effectually  putting  over  the 
fireworks  display,  which  was  postponed  until  this  evening. 
So  much  for  the  weather. 

Notwithstanding  the  unusual  extent  and  character  of  the 
celebration,  the  day  was  really  one  of  the  quietest  and  most 
orderly  holidays  we  have  ever  had.  There  were  no  serious 
disturbances,  no  extensive  thefts,  so  far  as  we  could  learn,  and 
less  than  the  usual  number  of  accidents,  owing  largely,  no 
doubt,  to  the  wise  and  salutary  police  order  in  regard  to  can- 
nons, and  toy  pistols,  which  not  only  prevented  personal 
injuries,  but  also  relieved  us  of  much  of  the  banging  and  noise 
generally  incident  to  the  "  Glorious  Fourth." 


44 


The  crowd  of  people  from  the  surrounding  country,  who 
came  in  to  participate  with  us  in  the  festivities  of  the  day, 
was,  we  think,  fully  as  large  as  expected.  They  came  pre- 
pared to  have  a  good  time,  and  they  had  it,  as  a  general  rule, 
in  spite  of  the  rain.  All  the  early  trains  leading  into  the  city 
were  crowded  with  excursionists,  and  by  10  o'clock  in  the 
morning  thousands  upon  thousands  of  strangers,  were  massed 
upon  the  principal  streets,  waiting  for  the  procession.  Among 
the  visitors,  it  is  needless  to  state,  our  country  cousins  were  in 
a  large  majority.  Of  course  our  own  city  folk  all  turned  out 
to  see  the  sights,  and  greater  crowds  were  never  known  on 
the  principal  thoroughfares  of  Buffalo.  Though  enthusiastic 
and  on  pleasure  bent,  more  orderly  throngs  of  people  were 
never  seen. 

The  decorations  of  the  city,  were  not,  as  a  rule,  so  elabo- 
rate as  on  the  Centennial  Fourth,  but  everything  was  tasteful 
and  appropriate.  The  great  dry-goods  houses  on  Main  Street, 
and  the  arch  of  triumph  erected  by  the  Messrs.  Bronner,  at- 
tracted most  attention.  But  it  is  unnecessary  to  describe  the 
decorations  in  detail,  and  without  further  preliminary,  we 
come  to  a  descriptive  report  of  the  observances  of  the  day,  be- 
ginning with 

ST.  PAUL'S  CHURCH. 

It  was  a  happy  thought  on  the  part  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Brown 
to  open  old  St.  Paul's  for  a  service  of  praise.  The  spacious 
cathedral  was  crowded  to  overflowing ;  camp-chairs  and  settees 
placed  in  the  aisles  accommodated  very  many  ;  but  hundreds 
of  people  went  away,  being  unable  to  get  even  a  glimpse  at 
the  interesting  services.  The  church  was  tastefully  dressed 
with  the  national  emblems.  Dr.  Brown's  address  was  very 
short,  and  principally  to  bring  before  the  audience  the  claims 
which  the  venerable  Dr.  Shelton  had  upon  the  love  and  re- 
spect of  every  citizen  of  Buffalo,  in  which  he  has  served  at  his 


THE   GRAND   PROCESSION.  45 

post  for  over  a  half-century.  Dr.  Shelton  made  a  very  feel- 
ing address  in  response.  The  musical  part  of  the  service  wai 
most  successful.  The  chorus  consisted  of  about  seventy-five 
persons.  The  opening  anthem  was  finely  rendered,  as  was 
Lloyd's  "  Te  Deum,"  in  which  Mrs.  Tanner  sang  delightfully. 
Signor  Nuno  conducted  with  his  usual  ability,  and  much  cred- 
it is  due  to  Mr.  Hobart  Weed  for  the  unqualified  success  of 
the  musical  portion  of  the  service,  which  was  unanimously 
pronounced  by  all  fortunate  enough  to  be  present,  to  be  the 
best-conceived  and  best-conducted  service  of  the  kind  ever  in- 
troduced in  any  church  in  Buffalo. 


THE  GRAND  PROCESSION. 

The  great  military  and  civic  procession,  over  three  miles 
long,  and  taking  more  than  an  hour  and  a  half  to  pass  a  given 
point,  not  counting  halts  and  breaks,  was  undoubtedly  the 
most  interesting  feature  of  the  day.  Column  after  column  of 
description  might  be  written  on  this  "  Jumbo  "  of  a  proces- 
sion, without  exhausting  the  subject,  but  where  is  the  neces- 
sity ?  Everybody  saw  it,  and  there  was  but  one  opinion — 
that  it  was  the  grandest  demonstration  of  the  kind  ever  wit- 
nessed in  Buffalo.  We  shall  endeavor  to  put  its  organization 
and  appearance  on  record,  as  briefly  as  possible. 

The  several  divisions  were  formed  according  to  the  orders 
of  the  Chief  Marshal,  and  the  head  of  the  line  started  from 
the  Terrace  promptly  on  time  (11  o'clock,)  the  signals  being 
three  guns  fired  by  a  squad  of  Linderman's  Battery.  The 
procession  was  formed  in  twelve  divisions,  the  first  being  en- 
tirely military,  as  follows  : 

Detachment  of  18  police,  Captain  Yox  commanding. 
Maj.-Gen.   W.  F.    Rogers,    Chief  Marshal,   commanding  4th 

Division  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.,  and  staff. 
Brig. -Gen.  John  C.  Graves,  commanding  8th  Brigade  and  staff. 

7th  Regiment  Band,  80  musicians. 


46       buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 

7th  Regiment  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.  of  New   York    City,  Col.  Em- 
mons Clark  commanding. 
65th  Regiment  Band. 
65th  Regiment  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.,    Col.    Thomas  S.  Waud  com- 

manding. 
Titusville  Citizens'  Corps,  Captain  J.  B.  Olmstead. 

74th  Regiment  Band. 
74th' Regiment  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.,    Colonel   Louis    P.    Reichert 

commanding. 
7th  Battery  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.,    Capt.    H.    W.    Linderman  com- 
manding. 

The  second  division    was   also    a  military  one,  including 
visiting  soldiers  and  posts  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

It  was  headed  by  Schultz's  band  of  eighteen  pieces. 
Then  came  "  D"  Company,  Buffalo  City  Guard,  sixty  men 
commanded  by  Gen.  Adrian  R.  Root  ;  Buffalo  City  Guard 
cadets,  eighty  men,  under  Lieut.  J.  G.  Haffa ;  the  celebrated  De- 
troit Light  Infantry,  forty  men,  commanded  by  Capt.  Harry 
Milward.  Bamberg's  band  led  the  Grand  Army  Posts,  at  the 
head  of  which  marched  the  color  guard,  Captain  George 
Morgan,  bearing  the  old  battle  flags,  some  mere  rags  and  tat- 
ters. The  flags  and  their  bearers  were  as  follows  :  Twenty- 
fourth  cavalry,  August  Luckenbach ;  27th  battery,  George 
Codling  ;  100th  infantry,  Donald  D.  McKay,  Quincy  A  Sie- 
bold,  James  Pitley  and  B.  Duggan  ;  116th,  Charles  Wall, 
Robert  Taggert,  George  W.  Ebbs  and  Fred  Wander  j  94th,  G. 
Grosskopfand  G.  R.  Waldo;  155th,  T.  Wylie  and  John 
Q  onohue  ;  campaign  of  1862,  Frank  Busher,  and  E.  H.  Pix- 
ley  ;  74th,  Louis  Daniels  ;  12th,  John  Beck;  Invalid  Corps, 
Edward  Curtis  ;  78th,  S.  F.  Mc Arthur  ;  179th,  Lawrence  Van- 
derbuch  ;  50th,  Joseph  Hoag  ;  21st,  Austin  Salsbury  ;  Farra- 
gut's  battle  flag,  Edward  Sniggs  ;  2nd  Pennsylvania  cavalry 
Frank  Baumeister  ;  54th  Massachusetts  infantry,  Charles  E. 
Warren.  This  proved  a  most  interesting  feature,  and  the 
sight  of  the  torn  and  tattered  standards  that  had  been  through 
so  many  baptisms  of  fire  and    blood,    could  not  fail  to  awaken 


THE   GRAND   PROCESSION.  47 

patriotic  emotions.     The  G.  A.  R.  Posts  which  followed  were 
Chapin  No.  2,  composed  of  200  men,   commanded   by    Dr.  J. 
H.  Dye ;    Bidwell-Wilkeson  Post,    No.    9,    seventy-five    men, 
commanded  by  Capt.  Henry  Stambach  ;  McMahon  Post,  No. 
208,  forty  men,    commanded    by    G.    A.    Cowan  ;  Scott  Post 
Band  of  Tonawanda,  and  Scott  Post,  No.  129,  sixty-five  men, 
commanded  by  Edwin  Goodrich  j  James  Ayer  Post,    No.  202, 
forty-five  men,  of  Angola,  under  the  command  of  Dr.  Thomp- 
son ;  Cady  Post,  No.  236,    Brockport,    forty-five   men,  under 
command  of  John    Gibson;    Curtis    Post,    No.  114,  Albion, 
fifty  men,  commanded   by    Capt.    J.    C.  Curtis  ;  Taylor  Post, 
No.  219,  of  Attica,    composed    of  forty-one  men,  armed  and 
uniformed,    under   the    command    of   Capt.    Wm.  H.  Smith ; 
Alexander  Mahon  Post,    No.    125,    of   Sanborn,  N.   Y.,   forty 
men,  under  E.  H.  Cox,  came  next  in  order.     A  delegation  of 
fifty  from  Titusville,  commanded  by  E.  H.  Bettes,  another  of 
forty  from  Oil    City,  commanded    by    E.    O.    Flaherty,    and 
another  of  thirty  from  Franklin,    Pa.,  with  a  small  number  of 
scattering    delegates,  and    two    Herdic   coaches    filled    with 
crippled  veterans,  completed  the  division. 

The  third  division,  headed  by  the  Philharmonic  Band, 
was  composed  entirely  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  under  Chief 
Marshalship  of  M.  W.  Christopher  G.  Fox.  The  order  was 
as  follows  : 

Occidental,  No.  766 — Wallace  Hill,  Master ;  Orson  A. 
Mosher,  Marshal. 

Harmonie,  No.  699— A.  J.  Stutor,  Master;  F.  H.  C. 
May,  Marshal. 

De  Molay,  No.  498 — John  C.  Burns,  Master  ;  Charles 
Pooley,  Marshal. 

Ancient  Landmarks,  No.  441— Wm.  H.  Kennett,  Master  ; 
Wm.  H.  Barber,  Marshal. 

Queen  City,  No.  358 — M.  Lockwood,  Acting  Master ; 
John  Love,   Marshal. 

Modestia,  No.  340 — Philip  Weber,  Master ;  Frederick 
Rickert,  Marshal. 


48        buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 


Parish.  No.  292 — Isaac  Morris,  Master  j  Max  Cohen, 
MarshaL 

Washington,  No.  240 — Charles  R.  Fitz  Gerald,  Master  j 
Charles  Caligan,  Marshal. 

Erie,  No.  161 — Thomas  A.  Laird,  Master  j  Alexander 
Sloan,  Marshal. 

Concordia,  No.  143 — N.  Moerschfelder,  Master;  John 
G.  Klein,  Marshal. 

Hiram,  No.  105 — Hawley  Klein,  Master;  Eugene  S. 
Knapp,  Marshal. 

The  lodges  were  followed  by  Kehr's  band,  Hugh  de 
Payens  Commandery  No.  30,  Knights  Templar,  Eminent 
William  Hengerer,  Commander,  and  Lake  Erie  Commandery 
No.  20,  Knights  Templar,  Eminent  Horace  A.  Noble,  Com- 
mander. They  acted  as  an  escort  to  a  line  of  carriages  occu- 
pied by  Most  Worshipful  Benjamin  Flagler,  of  Suspension 
Bridge,  Grand  Master  of  the  State,  and  David  F.  Day,  Wm. 
A.  Brodie,  John  W.  Vrooman,  Edward  M.  L.  Ehlers,  Charles 
E.  Young,  Rev.  William  E.  Gibbs,  John  S.  Bacon,  W.  Lin- 
coln Sage,  George  A.  Newell,  John  R.  Slick,  Herman  G. 
Carter,  John  Hoole,  Zachariah  Dederick,  William  Hengerer, 
Henry  Smith,  John  B.  Sackett,  John  H.  Bosher,  Cassius  C. 
Candee,  and  William  H.  Baker,  officers  and  acting-officers  of 
the  Grand  Lodge.  The  Masonic  turnout  was  a  strong  one,  as 
was  proper,  the  brethren  having  an  important  part  to  play  in 
the  corner-stone  laying. 

The  Fourth  Division,  led  by  the  Jefferson  Cornet  Band 
of  Attica,  comprised  the  Select  Knights  of  Buffalo  Legion,  No. 
2,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  Walter  E.  Locke  commanding,  and  at  the 
head  of  their  line  marched  officers  of  the  Grand  Legion,  Erie 
Legion  No.  1,  Lockport  Legion  No.  9,  and  Empire  Legion 
No.  13.  The  remaining  organizations  were  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  J.  J.  Herbold,  commander;  the  Benevolent  Knights, 
J.  H.  Schmall,  commander;  the  Eureka  Turners,  Charles 
Eifenbach  commander  ;  and  the  Machinery  Moulders'  Union 
No.  84,  F.  Schnell,  president. 


THE    GRAND   PROCESSION.  49 

The  Fifth  Division  was  composed  of  fifteen  carriages  two 
abreast,  occupied  by  the  orator  of  the  day,  His  Honor  the 
Mayor,  members  of  the  Common  Council,  city  officials  and 
distinguished  guests. 

The  Sixth  Division,  headed  by  Lay's  Indian  Cornet  Band, 
was  composed  entirely  of  the  Buffalo  Fire  Department,  and 
the  display  of  the  burnished  machines  and  equipments,  the 
powerful  horses,  etc.,  was  a  splendid  one. 

The  Seventh  Division,  headed  by  Young's  Band,  com- 
prised the  Butchers'  Association,  mounted,  in  red  shirts, 
and  making  a  fine  appearance.  In  the  rear  were  two  large 
wagons,  filled  with  little  girls  and  boys,  waving  flags,  mak- 
ing a  pretty  sight.  Then  came  the  display  of  the  Life 
Saving  Station,  with  their  boat  and  life  car,  mortar,  etc. 
This  was  very  attractive. 

The  remaining  divisions  were  devoted  entirely  to  the 
trades  and  industries  of  the  city,  mostly  represented  in  gaily 
decorated  wagons.  Never  was  there  a  grander  or  more 
creditable  pageant  of  the  kind  on  Buffalo  streets.  Extended 
description  is  uncalled  for,  and  special  mention  would  perhaps 
be  regarded  as  invidious.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  every  impor- 
tant branch  of  trade  and  manufactures  of  the  city  was  well 
represented,  and  on  most  of  the  wagons  were  appropriate 
mottoes  and  emblems,  besides  elaborate  decorations.  This 
part  of  the  display  was  intended  more  particularly  for  the 
benefit  of  our  visitors  from  abroad,  and  was  doubtless  fully 
appreciated  by  them. 

THE    LINE    OF    MARCH, 

was  from  the  Terrace  to  Main  Street,  to  North,  to  Delaware, 
to  Court,  and  up  Court  to  Main.  The  chief  attraction  was 
the  famous  Seventh  Regiment  of  New  York,  of  which  we  speak 
more  in  detail  elsewhere.  The  Seventh  was  cheered  and  ap- 
plauded enthusiastically,  and  ladies  waved  their  handkerchiefs 


from  every  available  window.  On  reaching  Delaware  Avenue 
and  Chippewa  Street,  the  Seventh  was  halted  and  formed  in 
line  on  the  west  side,  while  the  remaining  military,  G.  A.  R., 
and  Masonic  bodies  passed  them,  the  Regiment  being  at 
"  present  arms."  Then  the  Seventh  marched  past  the  other 
bodies  in  the  same  way.  The  Titusville  Citizens'  Corps  and 
the  Detroit  Light  Infantry  each  made  a  splendid  appearance 
and  attracted  great  attention,  while  the  home  regiments, 
Company  "  D"  and  the  Cadets,  never  did  better,  each  man 
in  line  being  determined  to  do  his  very  best. 


THE  SOLDIERS'  MONUMENT. 

LAYING    THE    CORNER    STONE. 

The  great  length  of  the  procession  delayed  the  exercises 
for  the  laying  of  the  corner  stone  of  the  Soldiers'  Monu- 
ment an  hour  or  more  beyond  the  expected  time,  and  long 
before  the  last  of  the  procession  had  passed  Lafayette  Square 
the  exercises  were  well  under  way.  The  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  marched  first  into  the  Square,  followed  by  the  color 
guard  bearing  the  tattered  battle  flags  of  the  rebellion.  The 
Masons  came  next,  and  after  them,  His  Honor,  Mayor 
Cleveland,  Judge  Smith,  Gen.  Stewart  L.  Woodford,  of  New 
York,  the  orator  of  the  day,  the  Rev.  Patrick  Cronin,  the 
Rev.  G.  W.  Cutter,  members  of  the  Common  Council  and 
General  Committee.  At  twenty  minutes  of  two  o'clock  Judge 
Smith  announced  the  exercises  ready  to  begin.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Cutter  offered  prayer.  The  Liedertafel  Singing  Society  under 
the  direction  of  Prof.  Mischka,  sang  in  fine  style  the  chorus 
"To  Thee,  O  Country,  Great  and  Free."  The  Rev.  Father 
Cronin  was  then  introduced  and  read  in  a  very  effective  man- 
ner the  Declaration  of  Independence.  Judge  Smith  then 
said  :      "I  have  now   the  honor  of  introducing  to  you,  fellow 


soldiers'  and  sailors'  monumemt.  51 

citizens,  the  distinguished  soldier,  statesman  and  orator,  Gen. 
Steward  L.  Woodford,  who  has  kindly  consented  to  address 
you  on  this  occasion." 

The  rain  which  had  commenced  falling  in  a  drizzling 
way  before  the  exercises  opened  now  came  down  quite  freely 
and  those  who  were  not  fortunate  enough  to  have  umbrellas 
had  long  ago  left  the  scene,  while  those  who  remained  were 
subjected  to  much  inconvenience. 

As  Gen.  Woodford  was  announced,  he  removed  his  over 
coat  and  hat,  mounted    the    corner-stone,  and,  declining  the 
offer  of  an  umbrella,    made   the    following   brief  but  eloquent 
remarks  : 

GEN.    WOODFORD'S  REMARKS. 

Mr.  President,  Citizens  and  Comrades  : 

In  this  driving  storm,  and  at  this  hour,  I  shall  attempt  no 
formal  speech.  The  day,  the  hour,  these  scarred  and  tattered 
flags,  speak  the  meaning  of  these  exercises  with  a  voice  of 
deeper  eloquence  than  I  can  command.  On  this  birthday  of 
the  nation,  so  filled  with  holy  memories  of  heroic  deeds,  so 
rich  in  glorious  heritage,  we  are  gathered  here  to  erect  a 
lasting  memorial  to  those  who  in  life  and  death  upheld  the 
glory  of  their  country  and  the  honor  of  their  ancestors  ;  and 
may  we  from  the  inspiration  of  this  hour,  from  the  deep  sig- 
nificance of  this  occasion,  from  the  battle-worn  faces  of  the 
veterans  before  us,  gain  a  higher  conception  of  our  loyalty  and 
allegiance  to  the  great  Government  whose  blessings  we  enjoy. 
Let  the  progress  of  our  past  be  the  augury  of  our  future  ;  and 
here  on  this  stone,  rendered  sacred  by  the  blood  of  the  loyal 
dead,  let  us  venture  to  hope  that  as  the  centuries  roll  up,  when 
the  fifty  millions  of  to  day  shall  have  swelled  to  three  or  four 
hundred  millions,  when  the  wealth  of  the  present  shall  have 
doubled  or  tripled  in  the  future,  the  corner-stone  in  the 
structure  of  our  liberties  shall  still  be  the  free  press,  the  free 
school  and  the  free  church.  I  have  the  honor  of  bidding 
you  adieu. 

As  Gen.  Woodford  stepped  down  Major  J.  M.  Farquhar, 
on  behalf  of  the  Grand  Army  of  Western  New  York,  presented 
him  with  an  elegant  basket  of  flowers. 


52 


The  Liedertafel  then  sang  the  hymn,  "  My  Country,  'tis 
of  Thee." 

The  Masonic  ceremonies  then  began.  Most  Worshipful 
Benjamin  Flagler,  of  Suspension  Bridge,  Grand  Master  of  the 
State,  was  invited  to  lay  the  corner,  stone.  The  officers  of 
the  Grand  Lodge  took  their  places  around  the  stone,  as  fol- 
lows : 

M.   W.  Benjamin  Flagler,  Grand  Master. 

R.   W.   David  F.   Day,  Deputy  Grand  Master. 

R.  W.  Wm.  A.  Brodie,  Senior  Grand  Warden. 

R.  W.  John  W.  Vrooman,  Junior  Grand  Warden. 

R.  W.  Chas.  E.  Young,  Grand  Treasurer. 

R.  W.  Edward  M.  L.  Ehlers,  Grand  Secretary. 

R.  W.  Rev.  William  E.  Gibbs,  Grand  Chaplain. 

R.  W.  Rev.  John  S.  Bacon,  Grand  Chaplain. 

R.  W.  W.  Lincoln  Sage,  Grand  Marshal. 

R.  W.  Henry  Smith,  Grand  Standard  Bearer. 

R.  W.  John  B.  Sackett,  Grand  Sword  Bearer. 

R.  W.  Geo.  A.  Newell,  Grand  Steward. 

R.  W.  John  H.  Bosher,  Grand  Steward. 

R.  W.  Cassius  C.  Candee,   Grand  Steward. 

R.  W.  Wm.   H.   Baker,   Grand   Steward. 

R.  W.  James  McCredie,  Senior  Grand  Deacon. 

R.  W.  John  R.  Slick,  Junior  Grand  Deacon. 

R.  W.  Herman  G.  Carter,   Grand  Librarian. 

R.  W.  John  Hoole,  Grand  Tiler. 

R.  W.  Zachariah  Dederick,  Trustee  Hall  and  Asylum. 

R.  W.  William  Hengerer,  District  Deputy  Grand  Master, 
25th  Masonic  District,  Buffalo. 

In  accepting  the  duty  the  Grand  Master  said  : 

Men  and  Brethren  here  assembled  : — Be  it  known  unto 
you  that  we  be  lawful  Masons,  true  and  faithful  to  the  laws  of 
our  country,  and  engaged  by  solemn  obligation  to  build 
buildings,  to  be  serviceable  to  the  brethren  and  to  fear  God 
the  supreme  architect  of  the  universe.  We  have  among  us 
secrets,  but  those  secrets  are  lawful  and  honorable  and  not  re- 
pugnant to  the  laws  of  God  or  man.  They  were  intrusted  in 
peace  and  honor  to  the  Masons  of  ancient  times,  and  having 
been  faithfully  transmitted  to  us  it  is  our  duty  as  men  of  honor 
and  integrity  to  convey  them  unimpaired  to  posterity.  Unless 
our  craft  was  good  and  our  calling  honorable  we  could  not 
have  lasted  for  so  many   centuries,    nor   should    we  have  been 


soldiers'  and  sailors'  monument.  63 

honored  by  the  patronage  of  so  many  good  and  illustrious 
men  in  all  ages  who  have  shown  themselves  ready  to  promote 
our  interests  and  defend  us  from  all  adversaries.  We  have  as- 
sembled here  today  in  the  face  of  you  all  and  have  in  accor- 
dance with  the  rules  of  our  ancient  craft  laid  the  corner-stone 
of  the  foundation  of  a  monument  to  be  erected  by  the  people 
of  this  city  and  county  as  a  memorial  to  those  brave  men  who 
gave  their  lives  that  their  country  might  live.  This  monu- 
ment, while  it  will  be  inanimate,  will  not  be  mute,  for  it  will 
tell  to  the  generations  to  come  of  the  men  who  in  their  death 
took  with  them  immortal  glory  and  the  gratitude  of  a  great 
nation.  It  will  tell  of  heroic  deeds  and  great  sacrifices.  It 
will  tell  that 

**  They  never  fail  who  die 

In  a  great  cause.     The  block  may  soak  their  gore, 

Their  heads  may  sodden  in  the  sun,  their  limbs 

Be  strung  to  city  gates  and  castle  walls  ; 

But  still  their  spirits  walk  abroad.     Though  years 

Elapse  and  others  share  as  dark  a  doom, 

They  but  augment  the  deep  and  sweeping  thoughts 

Which  overpower  all  others,  and  conduct 

The  world  at  last  to  freedom." 

We  esteem  it  an  honor  that  our  fraternity  has  been  in- 
vited to  participate  in  this  great  work,  and  therefore  we  have 
this  day,  with  joy  and  gladness,  performed  the  task  assigned 
us.  As  it  is  our  custom  to  invoke  the  blessing  of  Almighty 
God  upon  our  work,  the  Grand  Chaplain  will  offer  prayer. 

Prayer  was  then  offered  by  the  Rev.  John  S.  Bacon,  of 
Niagara  Falls. 

The  Masonic  ritual  was  then  proceeded  with.  As  it  is 
familiar  to  most  readers  no  details  are  necessary. 

The  inscription  on  the  square  copper  box  is  as  follows  : 

"  The  Corner  Stone  of  the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Monu- 
ment, erected  by  the  City  of  Buffalo  and  Ladies'  Monument 
Association  on  a  public  square  was  laid  in  ,Masonic  form  by 
M.  W.  Benjamin  Flagler,  Grai\d  Master  of  Masons,  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  on  the  4th  day  of  July,  A.  L.  5882,  A.  D. 
1882. 

Chester  A.  Arthur — President. 

Alonzo  B.  Cornell — Governor. 

Grover  Cleveland — Mayor." 

The  contents  of  the  box  were  read  by  the  Grand  Secre- 
tary, as  follows  : 


54 


BY    THE    GENERAL   COMMITTEE      OF     THE    COMMON    COUNCIL    AND 

CITIZENS. 

A  copy  of  the  revised  charter  and  ordinances  of  the  city 
of  Buffalo,  edition  of  1881. 

A  copy  of  the  manual  of  the  Common  Council,  edition  of 
1882. 

A  copy  of  the  printed  proceedings  of  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors of  the  County  of  Erie  for  the  year  1881. 

Memorial  of  the  city  and  county  hall. 

The  manual  of  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York 
for  the  year  1882. 

A  map  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

A  list  of  the  names  of  the  Monument  Committee  of  the 
Ladies'  Monument  Association. 

A  copy  of  each  of  the  following  newspapers  : 

Buffalo  Co?nmercial  Advertiser. 
The  Buffalo  Daily    Courier. 
Buffalo  Morning  Express. 
Buffalo  Sunday  Morning  News. 
Buffalo  Sunday  Morning  Times. 
Buffalo  Evening  News. 
JBuffalo  Evening  Republic. 
The  Evening   Telegraph. 
Buffalo  Daily  Demokrat. 
Buffalo  Freie  Presse. 
Buffalo  Catholic  Union. 
The  Christian  Advocate. 
.Buffalo   Volksfreund. 
The  Law  and  Gospel  Tribune. 
Buffalo  Daily  Transcript. 
The  Queen  City. 
Buffalo  Tribune. 
The  Fraternal  Censor. 
The  Royal  Templar's  Advocate. 

BY   THE   GRAND   ARMY   OF   THE   REPUBLIC. 

A  copy  of  the  journal  of  the  fifteenth  annual  session  of 
the  National  Encampment  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
iheld  at  Indianapolis,  June  15th,   1881. 

The  printed  journal  of  proceedings  of  the  annual  and 
-semi-annual  encampment  of  the  State  of  New  York,  held  in 
ithe  years  1881  and  1882. 


soldiers'  and  sailors'  monument.  55 

One  of  the  metal  badges  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public. 

BY   THE    NATIONAL    GUARD. 

A  copy  of  the  annual  report  of  the  Adjutant-General  of 
the  State  of  New  York  for  the  year  1882. 

The  annual  report  of  the  Inspector-General  of  the  State  of 
New  York  for  the  year  1881. 

BY   THE    ANCIENT   ORDER     OF    UNITED    WORKMEN. 

A  copy  of  the  proceedings  of  the  ninth  annual  session  of 
the  Supreme  Lodge,  held  at  Detroit,  in  June,  1881. 

Proceedings  of  the  ninth  annual  session  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  the  State  of  New  York,  held  at  Rochester,  February, 

1882. 

BY    THE    MASONIC    FRATERNITY. 

A  copy  of  the  constitutions  and  statutes,  rules  of  order 
and  code  of  procedure  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  free  and  ac- 
cepted Masons  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

A  copy  of  the  transactions  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  New 
York,  at  its  one  hundredth  annual  communication,  held  in 
June,  1881. 

The  printed  report  of  the  committee  on  foreign  corre- 
spondence made  to  the  grand  lodge  of  New  York,  in  June,  1882. 

A  copy  of  the.  grand  master's  address  at  the  annual 
communication  of  the  grand  lodge  of  New  York,  June  6th, 
1882. 

A  list  of  the  grand  officers,  1882-3. 

Copies  of  the  by-laws  of  the  several  lodges  in  the  city  of 
Buffalo. 

INDIVIDUAL     CONTRIBUTIONS. 

A  copy  of  the  constitution  and  by-laws  of  the  Buffalo 
Liedertafel,  together  with  its  history  and  a  list  of  members. 

The  first  copy  issued  of  the  Buffalo  City  Directory  for  the 
year  1882. 

Baldwin's  official  railway  guide  issued  June,  1882. 

A  photograph  of  the  drawing  of  the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors' 
monument. 

A  photograph  of  the  City  and  County  hall. 

An  engraved  map  of  the  city  of  Buffalo. 

After  the  box  had  been  placed  in  its  receptacle  the  corner- 
stone was  raised  by  workmen  under  the  direction  of  contrac- 


56        buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration. 

tor,  D.  W.  McConnell,  and  placed  in  its  position.  The  bal- 
ance of  the  exercises  were  brought  to  a  speedy  close  and  the 
assemblage  scattered  to  seek  dryer  quarters. 

VISITING  MILITARY. 

THE    SEVENTH    REGIMENT,    N.    G.    S.    N.    Y. 

The  famous  Seventh  Regiment,  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.,  arrived 
at  Niagara  Falls,  from  New  York,  on  Monday  night,  by 
special  train,  and  marched  to  the  International  hotel,  as  guests 
of  the  City  of  Buffalo.  They  were  met  by  a  Reception  Com. 
mittee  from  the  city,  including  the  staffs  of  the  Fourth  Divi- 
sion and  Eighth  Brigade,  and  a  delegation  of  the  Common 
Council  and  citizens  headed  by  President  Patridge.  The  lat- 
ter made  a  short  address  of  welcome,  which  was  neatly  respon- 
ded to  by  the  Commandant,  Col.  Emmons  Clark,  a  very 
handsome  and  distinguished-looking  soldier,  with  grey  mous- 
tache and  goatee.  The  Seventh  came  540  strong,  including 
thirty-three  officers,  fifty  musicians  in  the  splendid  band,  fif- 
teen buglers  and  twenty  drummers.  The,  uniform  is  of  gray, 
with  gold  trimmings,  white  cross  and  waist  belt,  white  helmets, 
and  white  trousers.  The  field  and  staff  officers  are  as  follows : 
Col.  Emmons  Clark,  Commandant ;  Lieut. -Col.,  George 
Moore  Smith  ;  Major,  Richard  Allison  ;  Adjutant,  W.'  Bacon  ; 
Quartermaster,  J.  P.  Burrell  j  Commissary,  C.  H.  Cowell ; 
Surgeon,  Daniel  M.  Stinson  j  Assistant  Surgeon,  Moreau  Mor- 
ris ',  Chaplain,  Sullivan  H.  Weston. 

The  following  is  a  a  list  of  the  Companies  and  their  offi- 
cers. 

Company  A — Captain  A.  W.  Conover  ;  1st  Lieut.,  Willard 
Fisk,  Jr.  ;  2d  Lieut.,  Victor  Voorhees. 

Company  B — Captain,  Henry  S.  Steele  ;  1st  Lieut.,  E.  W. 
Jones  ;  2d  Lieut.,  James  E.  Ware. 

Company  C — Captain,  Don  Alonzo  Pollock  ;  1st  Lieut., 
John  W.  McDougall  ;  2d  Lieut.,  William  M.  Massey. 


VISITING   MILITARY.  57 


Company  D— Captain,  William  H.  Kipp  ;  1st  Lieut., 
Benjamin  Parr  ;  2d  Lieut.,  S.  B.  Hyatt. 

Company  E— Captain,  G.  B.  Rhoades  ;  1st  Lieut.,  A.  T. 
Wyckoff  j  2d  Lieut.,  Frank  Munn. 

Company  F — Captain,  Daniel  Appleton  j  1st  Lieut.,  G. 
W.  Rand  j  2d  Lieut.,  W.  H.  Palmer. 

Company  G— Captain,  James  C.  Abrams ;  1st  Lieut.,  E. 
G.  Haight;  2d  Lieut.,  J.  B.  Dewson. 

Company  H — Captain,  James  L.  Price;  1st  Lieut.,  John 
A.  Tackaberry  ;  2d  Lieut.,  Edgar  Mills. 

Company  I — Captain,  William  C.  Casey  ;  1st  Lieut.* 
Daniel  Chauncey,  Jr.;  2d  Lieut.,  James  T.  Harper. 

Company  K — Captain,  Joseph  Lentelhon  ;  1st  Lieut. 
Walter  Kobbe  ;  2d  Lieut.,  J.  Egmont  Schermerhorn. 

The  regiment  arrived  at  the  Terrace  promptly  on  time, 
and  was  at  once  formed  for  parade,  Company  "  C,"  the  crack 
company  which  includes  a  number  of  former  Buffalo  boys  on 
its  roll,  having  the  right  of  the  line.  The  officers  were  provi- 
ded with  the  horses  used  by  the  mounted  police.  The  pro- 
gress of  the  gallant  New  Yorkers  up  Main  street  and  in  fact 
all  along  the  line,  was  a  continual  ovation  of  the  most 
enthusiastic  kind,  and  well  the  troops  deserved  it,  for  so  fine 
an  organization  never  trod  our  streets.  They  are  conceded 
to  be  the  best  trained  body  of  citizen  soldiers  in  the  country 
— the  flower  of  our  National  Guard  system.  The  precision  of 
their  rapid  marching,  in  close  order,  excited  great  admiration. 
The  whole  regiment  moved  as  one  man,  and  their  march  was 
a  sight  long  to  be  remembered.  The  band  of  the  regiment 
(Cappa's),  is  a  magnificent  one,  and  their  street  music  is,  like 
everything  else  about  the  regiment,  perfection. 

After  the  procession  the  Seventh  took  street  cars  for  the 
Parade  House,  where  a  splendid  collation  "  municipal  ban- 
quet," prepared  by  Teal,  of  Rochester,  was  served  the  hungry 


58        Buffalo's  semi-centennial  celebration 

and  thirsty  heroes.  It  was  greatly  enjoyed.  The  Band  fur- 
nished music  and  everything  passed  off  nicely.  The  members 
of  the  regiment  afterwards  indulged  in  a  little  jollity  in  their 
own  way,  and  were  as  happy  a  set  of  men  as  we  ever  saw. 
Afterwards  the  drums  beat  the  call  and  the  gallant  boys 
sprang  to  arms,  for  the  review  and  dress  parade,  on  the 
broad  grounds  in  front,  given  in  honor  of  Mayor  Cleve- 
land and  Generals  Rogers  and  Graves,  with  their  respective 
staffs.  The  entire  regiment  was  at  its  best,  and  did  its  best. 
The  most  competent  military  critics  who  witnessed  the 
manoeuvres  and  dress  parade,  said  that  every  movement  was 
simply  perfect.  And  what  more  could  be  said  ?  From  a  non- 
military  point  of  view  it  was  a  very  beautiful  spectacle,  and 
was  witnessed,  with  great  admiration,  by  an  immense  crowd 
of  people.  The  rain  at  this  time  was  not  heavy  enough  to 
seriously  retard  the  movements. 

The  weather  last  evening  would  not  permit  of  carrying 
out  the  entire  program  of  entertainment  offered  by  members 
of  the  Buffalo  Club,  and  the  promenade  concert  and  lawn  fete 
had  to  be  abandoned.  After  retiring  from  the  Parade  House, 
the  regiment  went  to  their  special  train,  for  changes  of  cloth- 
ing, and  afterwards  a  very  large  number  of  them  accepted 
the  hospitalities  of  the  City  Club.  Later  in  the  evening  came 
the  reception  at  the  Buffalo  Club,  which  was  conducted  inside 
the  mansion,  and  was  a  very  brilliant  and  enjoyable  affair,  a 
large  company  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  being  present.  The 
lunch  was  a  sumptuous  one.  Inspiring  music  was  furnished 
by  the  Regimental  Band  and  Poppenberg's  orchestra,  in  the 
billiard  room.  At  the  close  ot  the  reception  the  regiment 
went  to  their  special  train  and  returned  to  Niagara  Falls. 

The  members  of  the  regiment  expressed  much  gratifi- 
cation at  their  cordial  reception  and  entertainment  in 
Buffalo.  They  are  as  fine,  thorough-going,  unpretentious  a 
body  of  gentlemen    as   we    ever    met,    and    their    visit  here 


VISITING   MILITARY.  59 


will  long  be  pleasantly  remembered.  The  Seventh  repre- 
sents great  wealth  and  the  best  elements  of  New  York 
society  and  its  esprit  de  corps,  socially  as  well  as  in  a  military 
point  of  view,  is  not  to  be  surpassed.  They  leave  the  Falls 
for  home  at  2:30  o'clock  this  afternoon. 

OTHER    VISITING    MILITARY. 

The  Detroit  Light  Infantry,  forty  strong,  Captain  Mil- 
ward,  arrived  at  7.15  yesterday  morning,  over  the  Canada 
Southern,  and  were  met  by  the  Buffalo  City  Guard  Cadets, 
whose  guests  they  were.  The  Company  is  a  very  fine  one, 
and  they  wore  a  very  showy  light  uniform,  with  white  shakos. 
They  marched  exceedingly  well,  and  attracted  much  atten- 
tion. The  Detroiters  started  for  home  on  the  late  train 
last  night. 

The  crack  Titusville  Citizens'  Corps  was  the  guest  of 
Company  "  F,"  65th  Regiment.  They  have  visited  us  be- 
fore, and  are  well  known  as  one  of  the  finest  independent 
military  companies  in  the  country.  Their  uniform  is  very 
similar  to  that  of  the  Detroit  Light  Infantry.  They  left 
soon  after  the   parade. 

FIREWORKS    POSTPONED. 

The  display  of  fireworks  to  have  taken  place  on  Niagara 
Square  last  evening  was  after  consultation  with  the  manufactu- 
rer, postponed  on  account  of  the  rain. 


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Pi  3-1 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


